Forgotten Memories
by StarnightX
Summary: The first thing the sickly girl noticed about him was his mask...then his eyes. His eyes were of an unusual color, red and green, and they captivated her; she couldn't look away. KakuzuxOC.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Yo! I know I shouldn't be starting anoher FF since I haven't finished my other ones yet...but you know...ha ha. Anyways, I've had this idea for a while, but haven't gotten around to actually writing it yet. Check out my profile for more stories if you want...uh...Don't forget to REVIEW and tell me what ya think so far!**

**Rated T for cussing and stuff like that.**

**FYI- Otou-sama= a very polite way to address your dad (like father)**

**Oka-sama= a very polite way to addres your mom (like mother)**

**DISCLAIMER: I've actually just realized that I haven't done any disclaimers in a long time...so here it is! I'm pretty damn sure you all know I don't own Naruto. You are all very intellegent...and sexy...;)**

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"**The eyes are the gateway to the soul."**

**- Herman Melville -**

**C H A P T E R O N E **

The sickly young woman of 19 stood on her balcony, watching the rain fall. She took a deep breath in. How calming it was to smell the rain. So calming, so relaxing, the soft rain cleansing the Earth, it made her feel as though it was cleansing her as well. _"The crying night sky seemingly sorrowful and sad, reminds me of my loneliness tonight. And yet it washes away, it washes away the many miseries I may have…"_

"Sayuri-sama," Another voice caused the woman to stop singing. "You shouldn't be up at this hour. You should be asleep."

The young woman turned her sky blue head to look at her maid, Shizuka. Shizuka was a woman of 34 years of age, with a long black hair and electric blue eyes. She had taken care of the young woman since she was born. Sayuri returned her attention to the scene outside. "I can't sleep again," was all she told her servant.

"Please you must try or at least lay down. Your father will be upset. It's only for your well-being."

Sayuri sighed, but obliged to her maid's wishes. "Of course, Shizuka."

"Come, I'll braid your hair back before you return to your bed." This made Sayuri smile. Sitting in front of her vanity, Shizuka began to braid Sayuri's hair. Sayuri examined her appearance in the mirror with her coal black eyes. Oh how she hated her mirror. Her skin was a sickly sort of pale and her cheeks were hollow. She knew she wasn't getting enough eat, but as much as she tried to her stomach couldn't seem to hold it down. Thanks to her lack of nutrition, she not only was she fearfully thin, but very weak as well and couldn't perform any extraneous activities. Everyone around her treated her as though she was a fragile porcelain doll. A cough rising from her throat caused her to close her eyes.

"Sayuri-sama? Are you alright?" Shizuka asked worried, pausing to check on the young woman. Sayuri continued to cough, but nodded. "This is why you shouldn't be on the balcony while it's raining. You know how easily you catch colds." Shizuka hurriedly finished up the braid, which reached the middle of her back, and ushered Sayuri to bed. "Doctor Hakama will be coming again tomorrow for your weekly check up. So be sure you rest up, okay?"

Sayuri sighed to herself again. "Yes Shizuka." Shizuka smiled kindly down at her, before leaving the room. Sayuri tried to fall asleep, but couldn't, which was strange since she certainly felt tired. But then again, this sort of thing happened a lot. Some nights, since she was little, she wasn't able to sleep and sometimes during the day, she'd drop to the ground wherever she was dead asleep, not waking up for days. She coughed again, yawned and then listened to the rain falling outside. Listening to the rain made her happy; it made her feel like she wasn't entirely alone.

**xXxXx*xXxXx**

Kakuzu and Hidan lined up in front of the large oriental castle along with about 200 or so other men. All of them were rather young and had just turned 18; they all seemed to be rather excited. Today they were going to receive blessings from Hasegawa Katsuro. It was tradition in River country for boys to journey to the daimyou's castle each year to receive blessings as they grew from boys into men.

Hidan snickered. "You sure you can pass for an 18 year old kid, you old man?"

"You better keep your mouth shut Hidan."

"You know, the fucking leader should have sent Deidara instead. How old is he, 19?"

"Like I'd care to know."

"Man! This is so damn boring. When the hell are they going to let us in the damned castle!"

Someone standing in front of the two partners turned around and spoke to them. "They let us in at noon, when the sun is at the highest point in the sky…shouldn't you know that?"

"Of course I knew that!" Hidan yelled and Kakuzu fought to keep his growing annoyance in his partner show. The man in front of them turned back around a little taken aback. "Hey old man, how long will it be until noon?"

"Who knows? Maybe an hour."

"Holy hell! What the hell am I suppose do for an hour?"

"Why not shut up?" Kakuzu growled and turned around to talk to the people behind them. "Hey you two, what do you know about the daimyou's daughter?"

"His daughter? He has a daughter?" Said the one with the black hair.

"Yes, didn't you know?" Said his buddy, who had flaming red hair. "They say she's never been out of the castle because she's so sick."

"Oh...any idea how old she is?" The black haired man asked, forgetting that Kakuzu was there. The red haired one laughed. "Don't even think about it. There's no way you'd have a chance with the **daimyou's **daughter. She's probably already engage to some son of some nobleman."

The one with the black hair smirked. "I think I could get her to sway her my way." The red haired man slapped him upside the head. Kakuzu sighed. Why was he surrounded by idiots?

Meanwhile in the castle, Sayuri's appointment with Doctor Hakama was coming to an end. Sayuri's mother spoke to the doctor. "Well, how is she?"

Hakama pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "She isn't getting any better, but on the bright side she isn't getting worse. Does she fall asleep at random very often anymore?"

"No," Her mother shook her head. "I think her meditation and t'ai chi classes with Mikazu are really benefiting her."

"That's good to hear. Well, in that case, my suggestions for your daughter are the usual. It's best she have little contact with the outside world, due to her weak immune system. She should be drinking three cups of green or black tea a day and should be eating a lot of fruits and vegetables. They've actually been shown to improve the immune system."

"Thank you Doctor Hakama." Sayuri's mother bowed in thanks. "Do you have any idea how to get her to gain weight? She's still fearfully thin."

Hakama scratched the back of his head. "Gaining weight requires her to eat, but for some reason her body rejects a lot of the food she puts into it. I can only say this may be a result of something psychologically wrong with her. Has there been an event in her life that may have impacted her negatively in any way?"

Her mother looked a bit troubled for a moment, before whispering in his ear. "Well, her older brother…ran away when she was 10. She was rather attached to him and loved him very much." Even though she was whispering, Sayuri could hear her. "I'm not sure, but I don't think she's been the same since."

"Yes well, I suppose the best remedy for that is for her to find another…brother like figure. Maybe find something, or someone, that can make her happy?"

Sayuri's mother nodded a bit furiously. "We do our best to make sure our child is happy. Thank again very much Doctor Hakama."

"Of course, of course, it's no problem at all," He waved her thanks aside as he packed away his things. "Until next week then." Hakama bowed and excused himself from the room, leaving behind Sayuri, her mother and Shizuka.

Her mother sighed. "Come now Sayuri, you must get ready for the First Coming of Age Ceremony today."

"Yes, Oka-sama." She replied obediently and her mother smiled sadly at her. "I have a new kimono for you to wear today." Her mother revealed a box and urged her to open. "Thank you, Oka-sama." Sayuri then proceeded to open it, revealing a lovely blue and white kimono. The flower designs looked very intricate and Sayuri silently gave thanks to the person who created this beautiful piece of clothing. "It's very beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it sweetheart. Your father and I will be waiting behind the Grand Throne Room. Shizuka be sure to hurry now, it'll be noon soon." And with that her mother left.

"Yes, Hana-sama." Shizuka bowed. Sayuri sighed. "Is everything alright, Sayuri-sama?"

"Yes, of course." Sayuri got off her bed and began to undress out of her yukata. With Shizuka's help, she then dressed into the new kimono. "Sit in front of the mirror Sayuri-sama so I can do your hair."

Once again Sayuri was in front of the mirror and once again she examined her reflection. She didn't like what she saw; she nearly resembled a walking corpse, her sunken cheeks, pale skin, the dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. She hated it. She hated it. She hated it. She hated living here. "Sayuri-sama, why don't you apply your make up as I fix your hair?"

Sayuri nodded and proceeded in applying foundation, lipstick and other cosmetic items to her face. In the end the reflection she now saw in the mirror was somewhat acceptable. She breathed in and out feeling slightly more relaxed. The kimono was becoming on her, the blue was a shade or two lighter than her own blue hair. "You look sad Sayuri-sama. You should be happy; you'll be surrounded by many young men today," Shizuka remarked, a smile on her face.

Sayuri couldn't help but smile back. "They're all younger than I am."

"Only by a year. If I was your age darling, I wouldn't mind having a go at a couple of them."

"Oh stop it Shizuka."

"I'm serious Sayuri-sama. I think the thing you may need in your life is a trustworthy man, someone to love and care for you."

Sayuri sighed again and looked out at her balcony. "I have you don't I Shizuka? I really think you're all I need."

Shizuka laughed. "Now I don't think my love for you is the same as the love a man can give you. Do I look like a man to you?"

It was Sayuri's turn to laugh. "Of course not Shizuka." She now stood up. "Come now, it's nearly time for the First Coming of Age Ceremony of the year."

As they made their way to the Grand Room, Shizuka's words ran through Sayuri's head. The thought of having a…lover seemed so foreign to her. She'll admit that she has read many romance novels that have left her with a fuzzy feeling inside, but whenever she finished reading she also thought that finding "true love" was impossible for her. Besides how could she trust anyone else, besides Shizuka, after her brother lied to her and left?

"There you are Sayuri, you took a little longer than I expected," came the voice from a grown man. Snapping out of her thoughts, Sayuri saw her father.

"I apologize for my lateness, Otou-sama." Sayuri bowed in respect. Her father shrugged it off. "Hurry up." He ordered and Sayuri and her mother walked out into the throne room. Many young men were kneeling on the floor and their whispers had come to a silence as they watched the two women knelt down in front of them on the raised platform. Sayuri's father came out next and kneeled in between them. All of the men in the room bowed respectively.

"Young men of River Country, you have travelled here today to receive your blessings as you now turn from boys into men…" And so began her father's speech. Sayuri had become rather tired of hearing this speech two times a year. This time was the first time this year. The next time this speech would be heard would be during the Second Coming of Age Ceremony just before the end of the year. As she did every year, Sayuri's eyes scanned the crowd, examining the people who were sitting there. Her eyes quickly caught on to a man with flaming red hair; she had never seen hair so red.

After her little shock, she began to look at the men sitting around the red haired one and she noticed something peculiar. One of the men wore a mask over his face and was looking directly at her. His eyes were of the strangest of colors as well. They were red where they should be white, and had green irises; he had no pupils. Their eyes seemed to lock and a shiver went down her spine. His gaze frightened her a bit and yet Sayuri found that she couldn't look away. No…she could not show weakness to this man.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Another chapter for you lovely people! Please review!

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C H A P T E R T W O

Kakuzu tried to stare down the daimyou's daughter, but she did not look away. To his surprise, he saw a glint of determination in her eyes. The young woman did not break the connection until she made it clear that Kakuzu's stare did not frighten her. Kakuzu's hand closed into a fist. _"How annoying,"_ he thought to himself. _"She definitely has the air of a noble."_ Hidan began shifting around where he kneeled and Kakuzu could tell that he was beginning to get impatient.

"I'd now like to invite you all to the dining hall. We have prepared a great feast and hope you all enjoy," the daimyou finally wrapped up is long boring speech and the room rang with cheers. Servants began directing people into the dining hall and the daimyou and his family followed their guests in suit.

The hall was of course very large, easily accommodating all of the young men. The bottom half of the walls of the room were made of a dark wood, while the upper half was paper, with intricate designs painted upon it. There were four long dark brown tables set up in two rows. Pillows were placed beside each other in front of the table, indicating spots where the men could sit. The men filed in and sat down at the tables in a surprisingly orderly fashion. All seemed to be able to resist the pleasing aroma of the food set before them. However once the daimyou invited them all to eat they all dug in greedily, including Hidan. Kakuzu elbowed Hidan in the side. "Don't forget the reason we're here."

Hidan glared at him with his cheeks full of food. After swallowing he complained. "C'mon! I've been waiting to eat all fucking day! I deserve to eat some, besides it's **free**! Isn't that your favorite word Kakuzu?"

Kakuzu's expression did not change. Hidan decided to ignore him and return to satiating his hunger. Kakuzu's green eyes surveyed the room, finally locating the daimyou, who was walking among the men talking to them. His wife was doing the same. Their daughter however was nowhere in sight…

"Excuse me," a soft voice caused Kakuzu to turn his head. Looking up, he saw the daimyou's daughter. She was able to sit beside Kakuzu, for he sat at by the edge of the table. "Is the food not to your liking?" She asked, noticing that he had not taken a single bite.

"The food is fine."

She laughed lightly. "But you haven't eaten any of it."

Kakuzu bit the inside of his lip to keep his temper under control. "Well, how would you know? Have you been watching me this whole time?"

A light blush rose on the young woman's cheeks and Kakuzu's lips turned up into a slight smirk, not that she could see it behind his mask. "I…have not been watching you intently." She started to explain herself slowly. "I admit that you have caught my attention. You're the only man in this room wearing a mask in the room after all." Kakuzu's smirk disappeared as he heard the reason why he had caught the girl's attention. "My name is Hasegawa Sayuri. What's yours?" She asked politely.

"Kakuzu." He answered truthfully, seeing no point in hiding his identity since he and Hidan were going to take her back to the Akatsuki anyway.

"Oh, is that all? Do you not have a family name?"

"No."

"I see," Sayuri said, a bit taken aback by his bluntness. She got up from where she sat and bowed respectfully. "It was very nice meeting you, Kakuzu-san." And with that she left to go greet other young men in the hall.

"How fucking rude. She completely ignored me!" Hidan complained again, his mouth full.

"I wonder why, maybe it's your lack of table manners. Chew with your damned mouth closed."

Hidan simply shrugged Kakuzu off and continued to stuff his face. Kakuzu, on the other hand, still didn't touch any of his food and decided it would be a better use of time to keep a close eye on Sayuri. She was very poised in the way she walked and talked. He watched her move up and down the tables, stopping every so often to converse with the other young men dining in the room. Upon her face was a plastic smile Kakuzu recognized well, for it was very common to see that same exact smile on the face of any person in a high position of power, while they were in the public eye. She slowly made her way closer to Kakuzu again, but this time on the other side of the table. As she came closer, Kakuzu noticed the slight hollowness of her cheeks and began to wonder about the girl's health.

"My lady, it's so nice to finally meet you," the black haired man, who had stood behind Kakuzu and Hidan when they were waiting outside of the oriental castle, now, spoke to Sayuri. "My name is Gima Kosuke."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Gima-san," she greeted him politely. "I'm Hasegawa Sayuri."

"Kosuke is just fine, beautiful," the man winked and his red haired friend gagged. "God damn Kosuke, save us from you're cheesiness."

"Oh, you think you can do better Hachiro?"

"I know I can do better. Just one look at me and the ladies are almost immediately attracted to me. Isn't that right, Hasegawa-sama?"

"Oh…umm…I guess so. I mean, your hair is very…beautiful. I've never seen hair as red as yours," she said, slowly inching away from the two friends.

"What about me Hasegawa-sama! Is there anything attractive about me?" The man named Kosuke asked eagerly.

"You have an…interesting personality, Kosuke-kun."

"Ha ha ha! You hear that Hachiro! She called me Kosuke-**kun**!"

Kakuzu scoffed at the young man's foolishness. He couldn't possibly think that this girl, the daughter of the daimyou, actually meant a word she was telling him. Furthermore, it was simply ridiculous that Kosuke actually believed that he had a shot at winning the heart of Sayuri in the first place. Chances were that she was already promised to wed another man of noble blood. Yes, only a fool would be so foolish to try to swoon the young woman…

"Hey Sayuri…" a very familiar voice slurred. "Don't waste your time with thoooose kids. Yoooou should spend some time wiiiiiith a real man."

Kakuzu was very tempted to face palm. Hidan was now sitting beside Sayuri, an arm around her shoulders and a sake bottle in hand. Where did Hidan even get the sake? Hell, how many bottles did he drink to get drunk already? "Hidan…" He grumbled, a dark aura emitting from his person.

"Dooon't be soooo jealous, ooold man! I just want a pieeece of the fine lady toooo…"

Before Kakuzu's fist could find Hidan's face, a regal voice interrupted them. "I would appreciate if you could unhand my daughter, sir, or else I will have to ask you to leave." The daimyou now stood at their table and Kakuzu decided now was the best time to step in.

He stood from where he sat and bowed to the daimyou. "I offer my most sincere apologies Hasegawa-sama. My…companion is not the best mannered of people."

"Whaaat are ya talkin' 'bout…." Kakuzu stepped on Hidan's foot to keep him quiet.

"Regardless…"

"Actually, Hasegawa-sama, I was hoping that you would allow me and my companion to meet you privately. It is of the upmost importance."

The daimyou frowned. "Do you honestly believe you, a mere boy of 18, can just waltz in here and request to make an appointment with me?"

Kakuzu whispered dangerously into the man's ear. "Yes, I can, because I am not a 'mere boy of 18'. I am a member of the Akatsuki and you have something our organization wants. Now you will see me privately…you wouldn't want 200 citizens of the River country to die under your roof, would you?"

The daimyou pushed Kakuzu away. "You couldn't possibly…"

"Try me."

"Otou-sama?" Sayuri called out, Hidan's arm still around her. She had noticed her father's expression of worry.

"Of course," the daimyou surrendered to Kakuzu's request. "Hisao, take this man and his…companion to one of the private rooms." The servant named Hisao, bowed respectively and began to lead the two away.

"Hidan, were leaving." Kakuzu grabbed the back of Hidan's shirt and pulled him off of Sayuri. Just as he did, his eyes and Sayuri's locked a second time. He could see it, a slight fear in her gray eyes.

* * *

Sayuri couldn't stop pacing her bedroom. She was worried, fearfully worried. "Sayuri-sama, you must stop this. You're making me nervous."

"I can't Shizuka. I'm so worried. Who were those two men Otou-sama met with after lunch?"

"I don't know. I've never seen those two men before, Sayuri-sama."

"Otou-sama wouldn't tell me when I asked at dinner. You don't think they're dangerous, do you?"

"Whoever they are, your father will be able to handle them easily. There is no need to worry." Shizuka took Sayuri's hand and lead her to the bed. "Now tell me about the young men you met with today. There must have been at least one man that caught your eye."

"Yes…well there was the man with the red hair…"

"Oh, I saw him too. But I must say, it was his friend that was quite smitten with you."

"I suppose…"

"You must be joking Sayuri-sama. There must have been more than that one man that caught your eye. There were about 200 young men at lunch today!" Shizuka exclaimed, sounding a bit exasperated.

"Well…there was another, the man with the mask, Kakuzu. His eyes were very…interesting." Sayuri turned her head away and looked out the balcony. "When I looked him in the eyes, it felt like he and I were the only people in the room. He didn't even seem to pay attention to a word of what my father was saying; it was like I was the only thing he could focus on."

"Sayuri-sama, that's wonderful, but…"

"No Shizuka, it was frightening. He frightens me. It was like I was nothing more than a prize to be won. I have a bad feeling that he wants me…and not for any romantic reasons you may think."

"You must be tired, Sayuri-sama. You'll feel better in the morning and maybe then your father can tell you what he discussed with Kakuzu-san."

"Perhaps…" Sayuri said; she was still looking out at her balcony. A knock on her coming from her bedroom door drew the attention of the two women. "Yes?"

The door slide open and one of Sayuri's father's personal servants kneeled outside of the door. "I'm sorry to disturb you Sayuri-sama, but your father has requested your presence in one of his private chambers."

"What for?"

"I'm sorry my lady, but he did not tell me. I only assume that it has something with those two men that requested to meet with your father."

"Alright…" Sayuri sighed. "Shizuka, you may go sleep now. You've done enough work for today I'm sure…"

"Maybe I should go with you Sayuri-sama. I don't have a good feeling about those two men."

"I will be alright Shizuka."

"But Sayur…"

"Shizuka! Please excuse yourself." Sayuri snapped, losing her patience. If her father had requested her presence, then she must go to the private chamber. "Please lead me there." She now spoke to her father's servant, who nodded and took her to her father.

When she entered the room, she saw that her father sat at the front of it. Kakuzu sat with his back facing to her and Kakuzu's comrade, Hidan, stood at the edge of the room, holding a three bladed scythe. The scythe was enough to alarm Sayuri, but she kept up a calm façade. Her father, after all, would not approve of any inappropriate behavior. Completely ignoring Kakuzu, she kneeled beside him and kneeled before her father. She bowed. "Otou-sama, you called for me?"

"Y-yes, Sayuri-chan," her father croaked and Sayruri immediately became suspicious. Her father never, **never**, referred to her so informally in front of guests.

"Otou-sama, is something wrong?" She asked slowly, hinting concern.

To her surprise her father stood from where he sat and kneeled in front of her, his hands on her shoulders. "Please understand whatever happens…I am sorry. I am so sorry, Sayuri," he began to apologize to her, tears in his eyes. "Forgive me Sayuri, forgive me…"

"O-Otou-sama, what is it? What's going to happen?" She began to ask, sounding a bit worried. The next thing she knew she was being bounded and blindfolded. "What is this! What's going on! Otou-sama! OTOU-SAMA?"


	3. Chapter 3

**C H A P T E R T H R E E **

Sayuri sat on a bed alone. Her captors, who she assumed could only be Kakuzu and his partner, had left her blindfolded in the small room. She did yell for help, as soon as she took the blindfold off for her kidnappers had taken off her bindings before they left the room. No matter how loud she screamed and shouted for help, no one came to her rescue. She began to wonder if this was what her father meant when he kept asking her, no…more like begging her, to forgive him. _"Did he know they were going to kidnap me?"_ Sayuri wondered to herself. _"Why didn't he do anything to stop them? Did…did he just give me to them? Without a fight?" _ Sayuri couldn't believe it; she didn't want to. However, the more she thought about it, the more she came to conclude that this was the only reasonable explanation to why he kept begging her to forgive him. But why? Why would he do such a thing? How could he? All her life, Sayuri had been the obedient daughter that any father could ask for: she spoke only when spoken too, she didn't yell or scream when she didn't get what she wanted, when she was young she even kissed him every night before she would go to bed. So how could he? How could he?

Her bottom lip started to tremble slightly. Her eyes began to water. She was filled with sorrow. She was filled with anger. She was hurt and felt like she had been betrayed. "THAT BASTARD!" She shouted to no one in particular, allowing herself to express her emotions freely. "HE'S JUST AS BAD AS…" She couldn't even bring herself to say his name. Instead she grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at the bedroom door, which opened and hit the person that opened the door in the face.

"Ah…" Sayuri felt frozen in place. "I'm…I'm so sorry." She felt even more sorry when she realized that the person she had hit was Kakuzu. It was rather hard to tell at first. He now wore a black cloak with red clouds on them and a strange head covering on his head. She, of course, did not miss his crossed out ninja headband. _"He's a rouge ninja."_ He stood there in silence and she could feel the annoyance radiating from his being. "Well, is there a reason why you've taken me?" She asked.

"I don't know."

"You…don't know? Then if you have no good reason for kidnapping me, you should let me go."

"I can't allow that."

"And why not?" She asked. Now she was the one starting to get annoyed.

"It's not for me to decide. Now get up."

"Why? Where are you taking me?" Sayuri drew her knees in protectively.

"Does it matter? Get up now; don't test my patience." But Sayuri remained unmoving on the bed. He glared at her and strode over to the bed, pulling her body up by one arm.

"Let go of me! It hurts."

"It'll hurt some more if you don't listen to what I tell you in the first place. Do you understand?" Her eyes narrowed, but she gave in. She wasn't in a position to argue.

Kakuzu lead her away in silence down the hall and he could feel her coal colored eyes examining him from behind. No not examining, more like glaring. Her footsteps grew quiet until the stopped completely, before he heard them running in the completely opposite direction he was going. He groaned to himself; she loved making things more difficult then they need to be. He turned around in his spot and allowed his hands to shoot out from his arms. Sayuri shrieked as she felt herself being pulled back towards him. Kakuzu turned her around so that she was facing him; their bodies were only a few centimeters apart. She looked up at him with confused eyes. "What are you?"

He ignored her question. "I suggest you don't try that again or you'll find yourself dead." And with that he took lead her into a new room, his hands still on her wrists, to keep her from running again.

The room Sayuri now found herself in was a tad brighter than the hall had been. It was empty, save for a long wooden table and the person sitting at this table. Another person stood beside this person. She couldn't see their faces; they were in a shadow. "Hasegawa Sayuri."

"What do you want with me?" She asked, sounding a lot braver than she felt.

"Her chakra levels are a lot lower than Sasori's subordinate told us," The sitting shadow sighed, ignoring Sayuri's question. "We'll have to question him later, unless…"

The man, or at least she assumed he was a man, stared at her. It was beginning to get rather unnerving. Who was Sasori? And what chakra levels could she possibly have? She wasn't even aware of the fact she had any and found it rather unlikely seeing as how sickly she was. "I don't understand…" She started slowly. "Why do you have me here? If my chakra levels are so low, then why bother keeping me here?"

"I admire how calm you're acting, seeing the situation you're in. You can take her back to her room now Kakuzu." Sayuri felt herself being pulled away, out the door. When she looked back into the room, the two shadowy figures were gone.

"Kakuzu, who was that?"

"Leader."

"Of what?"

"Akatsuki."

Sayuri involuntarily took a sharp breath in at the new information. Of course she had heard of the Akatsuki before. Shizuka had told her rumors about them that she had heard in the marketplace. The Akatsuki was basically an organization of mercenaries and all the members were supposedly rouge ninja, who deserted their villages. It's rumored that one of the Seven Swordsmen was among them and even that one man from Konoha, who massacred his entire clan, or at least that's what she heard from Shizuka. Her heartbeat was slowly escalating as she began to realize just how much danger she was in. She began to wonder where the rest of the members were when all of a sudden…

Kakuzu head snapped back to look behind him. Where the hell was…? "What are you doing down there?" He growled as he gazed down at Sayuri's fallen form. "Are you so clumsy that you've tripped over thin air? Or are you just useless?"

Sayuri bit the inside of her lip to keep from throwing an insult back at him. "Sometimes my legs just give out…I…don't know why," She avoided looking him in the eyes. She was ashamed, after all, for having to admit her weakness to an enemy.

"So…you are useless."

Sayuri's eye twitched. "Can you just carry me to my room?" She asked, forcing politeness.

"How annoying…" For a moment, it looked to Sayuri that Kakuzu was going to leave her alone in the dim hallway. Much to her surprise, he swooped her up in his arms with great ease. "Don't you eat?" He asked, noting how ridiculously light she weighed. She ignored the question; she felt like the air was suddenly too heavy. He was so close to her. Sayuri couldn't remember when someone had held her so closely. She could even feel his heart beating, but something was irregular about it…

Sayuri didn't realize how closely she was listening to his heart, until he had set her on the bed. "Don't try escaping. I'll be locking the door." Was all he said before he left. She could hear the click of the lock and his footsteps getting farther and farther away.

The blue haired girl leaned back, trying to relax and get comfortable. She closed her eyes, trying to get sleep to overcome her, but sleep wouldn't come again…she groaned and was surprised that she was able to swing her thin legs over her bed. However, before she could even think about why her legs were suddenly working, she began to have a coughing fit. She curled over and her breathing became rapid and shallow. She knew she needed something to drink. The door. Sayuri turned the handle and silently cursed when she realized that it was locked. How could she forget? Kakuzu had locked the door. Sayuri banged on the door, hoping, praying for someone on the other side to hear her, but no one came to open the door. She began to kick at it, feeling slightly foolish, but she was getting desperate. Focusing all her energy into her foot, she kept kicking at the door, until, to her great surprise the door broke off from the hinges.

Sayuri couldn't waste time and marvel at her success. She stumbled down the hall, hoping to find a kitchen or a sink.

A blonde nineteen year old man sat at the table in the dark, eating out of a tub of ice-cream. He sat in the dark, alone in his blissful state. Luckily the rest of the organization, namely Tobi, were dead asleep or somewhere else entirely. He could eat his beautiful vanilla ice-cream in peace. Of course, the state of peace was short lived when the blonde man heard coughing and someone moving towards the kitchen, in which he sat. Groaning to himself, he resolved in staying quiet. Hopefully the person would simply walk by. Then again, he was far from surprised that this person stumbled into the kitchen, hacking up a storm. He could see their shadow struggling and for a moment he wondered if this person was blind or something. He then heard the sound of running water, gulping noises, and finally deep breathes. The figure crumpled to the ground. Sighing, the man stood up and turned on the kitchen lights.

"Who the hell are you, un?"

Sayuri's heart jumped when she heard someone's voice. She looked up to see a young blond man, with hair covering his left eye. His right eye was a brilliant blue. "Hasegawa Sa-Sayuri."

"That still doesn't tell me who you are," The man crossed his arms.

"It's only polite for you to tell me who you are first." Sayuri snapped, losing her composure.

"I'm an S-ranked criminal. Good manners aren't exactly the most important thing to me, believe it or not." He crouched down before Sayuri. "I'm Deidara. Now give me a good reason to why I shouldn't kill you where you sit, un."

Sayuri swallowed, wondering what she should say. Then again, there was only one thing she could say. "Kakuzu brought me here…I don't know why."

Deidara sighed yet again, unsatisfied with Sayuri's answer. "Nobody tells me **anything** around here."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, un." He dug back into his vanilla ice-cream.

"What the hell are you two doing in here?" Both Sayuri and Deidara looked to see Kakuzu's partner, Hidan, walk into the kitchen.

"I'm eating. Don't know what she's doing here though, un."

"That's mine, you fucking bastard!" Hidan shouted, tackling the blonde to the ground.

"It's just ice-cream! Calm down!" Deidara yelled back, trying to keep the tub of creamy goodness out of Hidan's reach.

Sayuri thought know would probably best time to go back to her room, but unknowingly ran into someone else. "What happened to your door?" Kakuzu growled.

"My door?"

"Yes, your door! How did it break off the hinges!" Kakuzu's voice now booming, causing Deidara and Hidan to put their little fight on hold and stare in horror at Kakuzu's wrath. "You know how much money I'll have to pay to fix that? How did you even break it down?"

"I…kicked it." Sayuri said in a small voice.

"Why? Why couldn't you just open it normally!"

"Well, you locked it from the outside," She pointed out and Deidara and Hidan started to snicker silently.

Kakuzu ignored this fact. "What was so important that you had to…how did you kick down the door anyways?"

"I don't know." Sayuri mumbled, looking down at the floor.

Kakuzu's eyes narrowed. "Come on." He started pulling her away by her wrist again. They didn't stop until they reached a closed door.

"Ummm…where are we now?"

"My room."

"Do you need to get something?"

"This is where we're sleeping," He stated, the tone of this voice hinting that he thought that she was asking stupid questions.

"To-together?"

"It's the only way to keep you out of trouble and from running off, since you did break down your door."

She sweat-dropped, but couldn't help but feel fear rise up within her. How was she going to survive this night?


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: I have't upated in FORVER an I'm sooo SORRY! I've been busy with life and I was havin trouble writing this chapter the way I wanted. I'm a bit unsure if it turned out all right and sorry if it sucks. I'm also sorry if Kakuzu seems a bit OOC. Please REVIEW and tell me what you think. I'll post the next chapter as soon as I can!**_

**C H A P T E R F O U R**

_Once upon a time, there was a man. He was a ninja, very cunning and very swift. He lurked in the shadows and carried out his missions with ease. One night the man went to a bar, on the lookout for another man, his target that he must kill for the sake of his village. The bar was dim and there was a cloudy gray haze, due to the amount of people smoking in the room. Yes, the bar smelled of cigarette smoke and alcohol. He sat down at the bar and ordered a drink. A light touch grazed his shoulder; he looked up and saw a woman. Her hair was the color of the midnight sky and her lips resembled that of freshly spilt blood. The man did not fail to notice her full cleavage or her astounding hips. He smiled. He always found it amusing that the daughter of a noble would come to a common bar for a drink. "You look beautiful, as usual." The man said, not only out of politeness; it was a very true statement._

_"Why thank you. It's nice to see you again." She sat beside him and ordered a drink for herself. The two had met a few years ago and conversed with one another. The man became lost in her eyes, which were a majestic blue. Before he knew it he had completely forgotten about his mission and was enraptured by the woman's presence._

_The next night he went to the bar again, a bit angry at himself. He told himself not to be distracted with the woman and focus on his mission, but before he knew it he was chatting with the woman again. This time he had something to drink too. He didn't see what was hidden behind the woman's smile…_

**xXxXx*xXxXx**

Kakuzu woke from his slumber, a frown present on his face. He had not thought of that woman in a long time, her hair, her eyes, her smile…her damned smile. The man felt the sudden urge to hit something. Sitting up in his bed, he glanced down at the floor. The girl laid there in a fetus formation, trying to keep warm.

"How pathetic." Kakuzu didn't completely understand the reason why Leader was interested in this girl, but it didn't matter…much. Maybe if the girl didn't seem so helpless…no more like useless. If the girl wasn't so useless, then maybe he could see the reason, but this girl was nothing but a noble, who grew up sheltered from the rest of the world. She wasn't even a ninja. She was useless…unless Leader let Kakuzu have her after she had served her purpose for the organization. Yes, he could hold her for ransom and get a nice amount of money for the girl…

Kakuzu's thoughts came to a halt for the girl stirred in her sleep. She began to mumble something incoherent to him. "Masa…Masa…" Her mumblings slowly escalated and Kakuzu began to feel annoyed. "-hiko…Masahi….MASAHIKO!" She shouted, shooting up from where she lay with an angry face. The girl seemed slightly out of it and simply sat the glaring at the empty space, before putting her face in her hands. Kakuzu could her sniffling. "Don't start crying," Kakuzu ordered. It was too early in the morning to listen to some random girl cry.

Her head shot up and she looked at Kakuzu, her dark eyes wide. She hurriedly wiped away any traces of tears from her cheeks. "I'm not crying," she said rather quickly.

"No point in lying, little girl."

"I wasn't crying and I am not a little girl. I'm nineteen." She glared at him in defiance.

"You nobles and your pride," Kakuzu slightly sneered, throwing his legs over the side of his bed and standing up. "And you have no idea how young you are…especially compared to me." He was about to go into the bathroom when he noticed her look of defiance was replaced by a strange look. "What?"

"Your face." She stated, still looking up at him in slight awe. Upon the corners of his mouth were a bunch of black stitches.

Kakuzu's eye slightly twitched as he strode over to Sayuri and kneeled down before her. He grasped the front of her yutaka, taking no notice that he was revealing a bit more of her chest, and lifted her up, slamming her into the wall. From her lips escaped a gasp of pain. "Do not mention my face to me again." He growled. "You hear me?"

"Okay…okay…let me down," She said, giving in and struggling against his grip. Her fingers were trying to loosen his grip on her. He frowned and with his free hand cupped her cheek. It felt incredibly warm against her cold cheek. Sayuri suddenly felt the urge bury her face into his chest, which was no doubt just as warm as his hand, but buried the urge as quickly as it came. She stopped struggling entirely, trying to keep the blush of embarrassment on her face down.

"You're freezing."

Sayuri blinked a couple of times before responding. "Well, you made me sleep on the floor without a blanket. Of course I'm freezing." All her former embarrassment was gone and replaced with her noble air.

"Tch." Kakuzu released her and allowed her to hit the floor. "I'm taking a shower. So don't you dare leave this room until I'm out."

"Why would I listen to you?" She glared up at him, rubbing her bum.

"Because…who knows what any of the other members would do if they find you wondering the halls by yourself. You'd be dead before you know it." And with that Kakuzu shut the door of the bathroom and left Sayuri alone with her thoughts.

With a sigh Sayuri stood up and lied down on the bed. She felt like she was enveloped in clouds; the bed was much more comfortable than the cold floor. Sayuri stretched out like a cat, before rolling over so that her face was in Kakuzu's pillow. She inhaled deeply and could smell Kakuzu's scent.

"Smells good." She thought to herself, before she pulled the pillow out from under her head and threw it towards the bathroom door. Did she really just think that? No, no, no, she had to get out of her. Who knew what plans the Akatsuki had for her? Hell, even Kakuzu didn't seem to know what her purpose was her! She groaned, rolling over to her side. She could always try escaping, but she had no idea where she was or who else was in this place. As much as she hated to admit it, Kakuzu was right. If she left the room without him, she'd probably had a good chance of getting killed. Then again, who said that wouldn't happen if she was alone in the room with him?

The bathroom door opened again, releasing steam into the bedroom. When Kakuzu walked out, he was fully dressed, white hood, mask and all. "That was fast." Sayuri commented.

He ignored her comment. "Where's my pillow?"

She looked away. "Behind the door."

Kakuzu sighed and it up. "You need to stop taking your anger out on inanimate objects." Sayuri opened her mouth to argue, but Kakuzu cut her off. "C'mon." He left the room and Sayuri followed.

When they reached her destination, Sayuri found that she was in the kitchen again. At the table sat two men. One had inky black hair, pulled back in a pony tail. The other, to her great surprise, had blue tinted skin and darker blue hair to match. It took her a moment, but she recognized the strangely colored man and before she could stop herself, she found herself saying his name. "Hoshigaki Kisame!" All three men looked at her and Sayuri wished she could melt away.

The blue man, identified as Hoshigaki Kisame, grinned. "What a cute pet you have Kakuzu. Does Leader know you have her?"

Kakuzu looked at Kisame stony-faced. "Yes he does know and no she is not my pet."

"Well, good. We all know what happened to that pet Deidara had. Zetsu found it…"

"Ummm, who's Zetsu?" Sayuri asked in a small voice.

"Someone you don't want to meet," Kakuzu mumbled. "Now sit down." He ordered as he went to prepare breakfast for the two of them.

"So if the girl isn't your pet, then what's she doing here?" Kisame asked, sipping a cup of tea that the other man poured for him.

"No idea, Leader hasn't said much about it, but he wants me to watch over her since I went to get her."

"And not Hidan?"

Kakuzu scoffed. "We put her under Hidan's care and she'll end up one of his sacrifices."

"Sacrifices?" Sayuri choked out. What was up with this organization?

"Yes, that crazy religious…" Kakuzu continued to mumble on about his partner. Kisame, on the other hand, turned his attention to Sayuri with a pointy grin. "So who exactly are you girl?"

"Hasegawa Sayuri."

"A noble." The silent dark hair man finally spoke.

"Yes…and you are?" She asked politely.

He silently observed her with his onyx eyes, making her feel slightly uncomfortable. "Uchiha Itachi."

"I think it's strange how you knew who I was, but you didn't know who Itachi-san was… how did you know who I am girl?"

"Oh…well I heard…stories…"

"From your servants no doubt," Kakuzu said, rather darkly as he set the bowl of oatmeal in front Sayuri.

"Yes…" She confirmed, wondering about Kakuzu's strange behavior. Was he always this grumpy in the morning?

"I wouldn't think nobles would allow their kids to listen to stories about ninjas…"

"Yes, Otou-sama thought that we would get…ideas. Actually, my bro…" She paused before quickly covering up. "Never mind. I've spoken too much." She proceeded to take a few bites of her oatmeal, while everyone else sat in silence. It wasn't before long she stopped eating and pushed the bowl away. It was still half full.

"Are you done already?" Kakuzu asked disapproval in his voice.

"Yes." She stood to leave.

"What is the food her not good enough for a noble like you?" Kakuzu questioned, his voice beginning to escalate.

"It's not that. It's just that I'm not hungry anymore."

"You barely ate two bites."

"Actually, I had three and I see no reason why I should eat anymore when I'm not hungry. Just throw it away…"

Kakuzu slammed his hand on the table and abruptly stood up, shocking her. "Like hell I'm going to let food go to waste! You're going to sit your ass down and eat it all. Because not only is it a waste to throw it away, you practically look like the walking dead! If you're expecting me do everything you say, then you're greatly mistaken. Don't you even think for a second that I'll be serving you anything on a silver platter."

Sayuri narrowed her eyes and stood as tall as she could. "One, if anyone around here looks like the walking dead is you…those stitches on your face and your freaky eyes make you look like you're some sort of zombie. Two, it's obvious that you're not of…the upper class, your foul language and short temper…"

Before Sayuri could finish whatever she had to say, Kakuzu slammed her into a near-by counter. "You damned nobles are all the same, living happily in your ignorance, hiding behind your wealth…"

Sayuri laughed. "You call me ignorant? You're the one accusing me for being ignorant when you barely even know me!"

"I don't need to know you!"

"If you're anywhere near **human**, then you would probably take a moment to get to know the person before…"

"Are you implying that I'm not human!"

"Yes. You're heartless, you abandoned your village…."

"Now look who's talking! You know nothing about me and here you are…"

"Kakuzu!" Itachi spoke. "That's enough. If Leader wants to use her, then she'll need to be alive." Kakuzu released her and left the kitchen. Itachi turned on Sayuri. "You're foolish for arguing with Kakuzu. His short temper has led him to kill several partners he had before…"

"K-kill?" She stuttered, wondering if she had heard correctly.

"Yes, so I suggest you swallow that pride of yours and keep your mouth shut…that is if you want to have a chance of surviving here." Itachi left the room.

Kisame let out a low whistle. "Itachi-san isn't much of a talker Sayuri. You got him a bit angry."

Sayuri bit the bottom of her lip. "He's angry too…"

"Yeah…to be honest I was a bit surprised that Kakuzu didn't kill you on the spot. He must like you…" He laughed and Sayuri paled, highly doubting the blue man's words. "Well…" Kisame stood up. "If I was you, I'd stay away from Kakuzu from now on."

"Why does Kakuzu dislike nobles?"

"It seemed like he disliked you specifically."

Sayuri shook her head. "No, it seemed like he hated them in general."

"Who knows?" Kisame shrugged. "You should probably ask Hidan since he is his partner…but then again he may end up sacrificing you." He laughed at her before leaving her alone in the kitchen.

The blue haired girl didn't know what to do and found herself dropping to her knees. It seemed as though the seriousness of her situation had only just dawned upon her. This wasn't her home and she couldn't go bossing these people around, especially since they **are** S-ranked criminals. She was alone her, until someone could save her. But who? Who was there? Would her father really send someone to save her even though he was the reason why she was even her in the first place? She finally allowed her noble demeanor to fall as tears rolled down her cheeks. She sobbed. She was afraid. She was alone, again. "Masahiko…why did you leave?"

**xXxXx*xXxXx**

What time was it? Was it night or day? Sayuri didn't know, but she was tired and it felt as if all her energy was drained. Her eyes were slightly red, due to the amount tears she was crying and her nose felt slightly stuffed. Yes, she was tired, but was it a good idea to sleep in the hall? Who knows who could find her there? What if that Zetsu person found her? No, she couldn't sleep there, but that meant she had to face Kakuzu, after his room was the only room she could find on her own. She stood up and stretched her cramped legs, and then she heard it, footsteps. She looked left and right down the hall to find the source of the footsteps, and saw the outline of a large figure.

"Look it's the girl…" Someone said, she presumed it to be the large figure slowly walking towards her. She tried to think of someone as tall as the figure and her thoughts fell on Kisame, but Kisame's voice sounded different.

"…**she's by herself. I'm sure Leader won't mind if**…." Another person spoke, shooting shivers down her spine. She didn't waste another minute and ran to Kakuzu's room.

"Look what you did. You scared her off…" Said the voice, but Sayuri was out of range to her it.

Her chest moved up and down heavily. She struggled to breath. When was the last time she ever ran like that? She wondered to herself. No other time came in mind and she looked at the door in front of her. A nasty feeling formed in her stomach as she clenched her fist, breathing slowly in attempt to stay calm. She was afraid of what Kakuzu would do if he saw her. She knocked on the door.

Silence.

She knocked a second time. The door creaked open. Upon seeing who it was that knocked on his door, Kakuzu made to close it, but she stopped him. "You better get out of here girl before I kill you."

"I'm sorry!" She shouted, without realizing it. "I'm very sorry Kakuzu-san for my behavior this morning."

"Spare me from your bullshit."

"Please!" She got on her knees and bowed down to him. "I'm very sorry Kakuzu-san for the things I said to you and if I hurt your feelings." Feelings, the word caught Kakuzu's attention. His feelings… "Please forgive me Kakuzu-san…" He heard the girl sniffle.

Kakuzu opened the door a little wider. "Get in…and stop crying." Sayuri slowly raised her head, not sure if she heard him correctly. "Are you going to sit there all night or are you coming in?" He asked, getting a bit impatient.

She shook her head. "No…and I'm not crying."


	5. Chapter 5

**C H A P T E R F I V E **

Sayuri sat alone in Kakuzu's bedroom. Apparently he had something to get done; of course when she asked him, he had not given her an answer. She laid on her back with her hands behind her head. There was absolutely nothing to do.

The door opened.

She shot up. "Kaku…oh, it's you."

"Yep, just me, bitch," said the white haired Jashinist. "Where's Kakuzu?"

"I don't know."

"Well, he can't have left the base or else some other poor sap would be stuck with the job of watching you…namely me."

"What did you need to find him for?"

Hidan held up an arm. "I need him to reattach my arm."

"Oh my GOD!" Sayuri, whose previous laziness complete disappeared, leapt up the bed to Hidan. "What did you do! How did that happen! Doesn't it hurt!"

Hidan grinned and wiped his nose with the back of his sleeve, appearing to be rather laid back. "I got into a battle with a couple of Jounin, but I took care of them."

"You…killed them?" Sayuri whispered with big eyes.

"Yeah…"

Sayuri shook off her shock. "Well, what about your arm!"

"What about it?"

"Doesn't hurt?" She began to pull on Hidan's other arm. "We should probably get it checked out or something…"

Hidan puffed out his chest. "It doesn't hurt too bad. Besides, it's worth it."

"Worth what!" Sayuri asked incredulously.

"Pain is one way to show my loyalty to Jashin-sama."

"Jashin-what?"

"Jashin-sama, the one true god of this world!"

Sayuri's mouth was slightly opened, before closing it. "Right…we need hurry and get it fixed. Someone else around here should know how…"

"I think I'll be fine, as long as my angel is here beside me."

"…are you hallucinating as well? How much blood did you lose?"

"I'm not hallucinating you piece of shit! I was talking about you! It's called flattery!"

"Well, they say flattery gets you nowhere. Also, that flattery of yours instantly lost its charm the moment you called me a 'piece of shit'." She strode over to the door and opened the door. "Get out."

"Tch, what the hell? You were worried about my health like five seconds ago!"

"Yeah, five seconds ago, now I don't really care at all. Get out!"

"Don't tell me what to do bitch! It's not like this is your room!"

"I'm pretty sure Kakuzu wouldn't want you in his room!"

"I'm pretty damn sure he doesn't want **you** in his fucking room!" Hidan yelled back.

"I'm pretty sure he wants the two of you to stop yelling," said a deep voice, causing both of them to stop their arguing. Kakuzu stood by his desk, setting a briefcase on top of it.

"How did you get there!" Both Sayuri and Hidan shouted.

"I didn't know you two had so much in common. You're both loud and stupid."

"We are not!" They both said at the same time. "Stop copying me!" They shouted again.

"Will you two shut up?" Kakuzu asked, rubbing the sides of his temples with his fingers. "And Hidan, get out."

"No way man! I need you to put my bloody arm back on!"

"Maybe if you didn't cut it off in the first place, you wouldn't need me to sew it back on."

"You cut it off yourself? You told me you got it cut off in a battle!" Sayuri said.

Kakuzu sighed. "I'm counting my money first. I'll do it later."

"What the hell! Since when has money been more important than me?"

"Hmph, since when have you been more important than **anything**?" Kakuzu retorted.

Hidan stormed out the room yelling, "Stupid, greedy, son of a bitch! Jashin will smite him where he stands…" His voice got quieter the further he went away.

"Sayuri."

"Hmm?"

"Never believe what Hidan says."

"He was carrying his arm in his hand! How could I not believe him?" She said, trying to defend her stupidity, but Kakuzu was no longer listening and was counting money on his desk. "So…where did you go?"

"Out."

Sayuri rolled her eyes. "So…where did you get the money?"

"None of your business."

Sayuri groaned and rolled back onto his bed. "You better get off my bed before I force you off," Kakuzu warned.

"Where else am I supposed to relax?"

"The floor."

"Well have you ever tried relaxing on the floor?"

"You're getting quite relaxed with me to be carrying on this pointless conversation," Kakuzu said rather loudly, setting down the bills he was counting.

Her eyes narrowed at his words. "I'm not…no…I'm just bored is all."

"Oh yeah, you're so bored that you've decided to instigate a pointless conversation with an **S-ranked **criminal," He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Sayuri began to resemble a gaping fish. "That's beside the point."

"So what is the point?"

"That my boredom is nearly driving me insane, which is why I even bothered to 'instigate' a conversation with you. Otherwise I wouldn't even think of talking to you!" She said, even though she knew the last part was a bit un-necessary, but in her defense he was being a bit rude after all.

"I think it's your malnutrition that's causing you to go insane."

Her eye twitched. "I ate all the food you gave me for dinner yesterday."

"One good meal doesn't make up for the years of meals you've missed."

"Stop being so rude!"

"It's not like I'm the host and you're the guest. I'm the captor and you're the captive. Besides, it's seems you've forgotten that I'm an S-ranked criminal; politeness and manners aren't exactly on the top of my list."

"Yeah, well…shut up." Sayuri mumbled, crossing her arms knowing that she had lost this battle. Kakuzu laughed and Sayuri broke a grin, happy to get a positive response from him. "You laughed!"

"Did not," was Kakuzu's response, his voice as bland as ever.

"Okay, maybe more like chuckled."

"Tch."

"Snickered?"

"Shut up Namori."

Sayuri opened her mouth confused. "Who's Namori?"

If someone looked closely behind Kakuzu's masked, that someone could tell that he blanched a bit. He cursed his slip of tongue. "No one."

* * *

The red headed Akatsuki member sat at his workshop table, tools in hand. He was at peace, until he heard a knocking on his door. With a sigh he stood up and opened it. On the other side was Kakuzu, as expected, and Shintaro Masahiko's younger sister, Hasegawa Sayuri. She stood perhaps about two inches taller than he and her long blue hair cascaded well pass her shoulders. She was sickly pale and very thin. Masahiko was right when he told him of his sister's poor health condition. In fact, Sasori was beginning to wonder if his subordinate was correct in that she too had high levels of chakra. He definitely couldn't sense it.

"Sayuri, this is Sasori. You'll have to stay with him for the next few days," Kakuzu introduced Sayuri to Sasori.

"Why?" She asked bluntly.

"Because…he's going to teach you chakra control."

"Why can't you teach me?" She asked again.

"Because…" Kakuzu said between his teeth. "I'm going to go collect a bounty."

"Sorry," She said, her eyes downcast.

Sasori eyed her strangely, she didn't seem to have the personality that Masahiko had described to him many times before. "It seems you have your pet under control."

"I'm not a pet!" She yelled at Sasori, before turning to Kakuzu. "When are you coming back?"

"I already said a couple of days." He left, leaving Sasori and her alone.

Sasori stared at Sayuri with his half-lidded brown eyes and Sayuri stared at Sasori with her narrow gray ones. Who was this person? Was he really a member of the Akatsuki? He looked very young. "I guess we'll get started with your training now," Sasori's voice broke her out of her trance.

"Is it safe to do this sort of thing in your room?" Sayuri asked a bit skeptical.

"Yes. We'll be doing basic things today. Besides, I highly doubt you'll be very successful in doing anything that may be damaging." Sasori said as he began shuffling things around on his desk, making room.

Sayuri glared at him. "How old are you anyway?"

"Why? Do you doubt my ability to teach you?"

"N-No," She stuttered, fearing that she may have angered him. "I was just wondering…"

"I'm thirty-five. And I'm not Kakuzu. I don't get angered easily." Sayuri stood there slightly shocked. One, by his age and two, the fact that he practically read her mind. "I guess we should just start with the basics," He sighed. "Do you know what chakra is?"

"It's the energy in your body right?"

"No." Sayuri flinched at his response to her question. "Chakra is of two parts: the physical energy in your body and the spiritual energy you get from exercise and experience."

"Well…I got half of it right, ha ha…" Sayuri bashfully looked away when she saw Sasori's emotionless face.

"From what I can tell, you don't seem to have much of either…"

"Then why am I here!" She asked, feeling slightly insulted.

"Who knows?" He said and her eye twitched. "Please think, has there ever been a time where you've released any large amounts of chakra?"

Sayuri began to fidget with her fingers. "Well…I kinda sorta…kicked down my door."

Sasori's eyes slightly widened. "Really?"

"Yeah…"

"I guess you must have used chakra…since you're obviously physically weak to break down a door." Again, Sayuri felt a bit insulted. "I guess it's possible that you've locked your own chakra." He stated absent mindedly.

"You can do that?"

"Yes, it's possible, not commonly heard of, but possible. That's the only thing I can think of. Perhaps something happened in your past causing you to lock it away. After all, chakra is part spiritual."

Sayuri suddenly felt alert at Sasori's words. "How do you know that?"

"Know what?"

"About…about my past?"

"I'm not an all-knowing being," If Sasori had a different personality, he probably would have rolled his eyes. "It was only a suggestion, but then again, judging from your reaction. That suggestion must be true..." He let out a light sigh. "Let's get started."

She stared at him strangely. "NO! I'm not doing anything with you! You know something! I can feel it!"

"And what are you going to do about it? You have no power over me. I know you know that much."

Her eye twitched. " I'm leaving!" She turned on her heel and opened the door only to see Kakuzu's partner Hidan. "What are you still doing here?" She asked, shock replacing anger.

"Well, there was no way in hell that I'd go with that old man bounty hunting! I got better things to do!"

"Then what are you doing here?" Sasori asked. "I'm already losing my patience enough as it is with this girl and I barely even started. Don't think I'm going to put up with you as well…"

"Too bad for you, Kakuzu told me ta keep an eye on Sayuri."

"Since when did you take orders from Kakuzu?"

"I don't. I just wanted to see how our little princess is doin'. It sounds like she's being a total bitch so far though!" Hidan laughed and Sayuri shut the door in his face, locking it. "You fucking bitch! You think you can slam a fucking door in my face!"

"I just did!" Sayuri shouted, before turning back to Sasori, whose expression hadn't changed. "I…uh…apologize for my rudeness, Sasori-san." She apologized, feeling rather awkward. "But I…"

"I know absolutely nothing about you. Now I suggest you be quiet and pay attention…"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: This chapter maybe boring. It's mainly gives you a better look at Sayuri's background. Kakuzu isn't in this chapter, but he'll be in the next one. REVIEWs would be ABSOLutely lovely and much appreciated. **

**I'd like to thank Kim2000 and the French Anonymous person for sending in reviews. I couldn't reply to either of you so here it is. Hopefully you'll be able to see my thanks. 3**

_Flashbacks are in italics._

**Please note that "Nii-sama" is the same thing as "Onii-sama", except the "O" is left off, making the term seem more affectionate. For those that don't know, "Onii-sama" is a polite way to address an older brother.**

**For those who may not know, but every time I put a page break there's a time skip or sometimes a change in POV(not in this chapter though).**

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**C H A P T E R S I X **

Sasori was on the verge of annoyance and Sayuri could not push away the feelings of embarrassment. It had been about a day and a half since she began her training with Sasori and she still hadn't made any progress. She had never felt so humiliated. It was as though Sasori was expecting so much more from her and she wasn't able to deliver what he was looking for in her. Sure, in the beginning she didn't really care too much about unlocking whatever chakra she had. After all, she simply wanted to go home, but Sasori's constant remarks on how insufficient she was had irked her to no end. A feeling of determination grew within her. Now all she wanted to do was prove her worth.

"I'm beginning to think that there was no point in all this," Sasori remarked. Sayuri had been focusing for an hour and a half now, but her chakra output had not changed at all during that time period. Sayuri said nothing to his comment, learning that it was best not to respond to the red haired man whenever he spoke. "I'll have to discuss your lack of progress with Leader. We might have no use for you and we can't continue to waste time with you…" Again, Sayuri felt insulted, but at the same time relieved. This may mean she could go home sooner."Stay here." Sasori ordered before leaving the room.

Sayuri rolled her eyes. "As if I have anywhere to go." She sighed, before closing her eyes, trying to concentrate again. Chakra was part spirit...at least that was what Sasori told her. Something about her and her past was keeping her from reaching it. The only thing she could think of was her brother. She imagined his figure, his dark blue hair, and coal black eyes that matched her own. His image began to fade in her mind and she began to panic. Her heart raced and her breathing quickened, she wished with all her heart to go after him, but she couldn't move. Before she knew it, she was alone. Her scream seemed to pierce the heavens. She screamed for her brother, out of anger, out of sorrow. Her hands began to tremble as she placed them on both sides of her head, trying to calm down. How could she let go? Was she to simply forget? How could she? How could she?

Someone grabbed her shoulder, causing her to jump in her spot. She whipped her head around to look into a pair of red eyes with black tomoe. "I-Itachi-san." She stuttered, remembering how she angered him a couple of mornings ago.

"Yes…I bumped into Sasori on the way here. He's said you made no progress."

Sayuri felt slightly taken aback. "This is…a lot harder than I thought."

"Of course, you're basically sticks and bones. A person's chakra levels are somewhat dependent on their physical health."

"Sasori said that it was spiritual."

"It's both. Surely you can remember something so simple?" He asked so emotionally that she couldn't help to think that he was really sneering secretly at her lack of knowledge, before continuing on. "From what Sasori told me, you may have blocked your own chakra flow. Whatever it is that's hindering your chakra, I suggest you let it go. It'll do you no good in dwelling on the past."

"But the past is what makes us who we are today."

"And dwelling on the past for too long, halts our growth and we can never expect to make progress." He retorted smoothly. "Not only that bad spiritual or mental health, can lead to poor physical health too. That's probably why you're so sickly and useless."

The young woman's eye twitched. "Thank you so kindly for your diagnosis, Doctor Itachi." The words of sarcasm had left her lips before she realized it and her face blanched from the look in Itachi's eyes.

"Get up, we're leaving."

"I'm…not going to train anymore?"

"No, you're eating something. There's no point in you training if you're so weak. Besides, I believe you're beginning to push Sasori's patience…"

"I wasn't do **that **badly…" Sayuri said, then looked doubtfully at Itachi. "…was I?"

"Let's go." He walked out of the room. Sayuri followed, without failing to notice that he had purposely ignored her question.

Upon entering the kitchen, Itachi went to the counters to fix her something to eat. What it was, she didn't know yet and she wasn't exactly excited to find out. She sat at the table, in front of a certain blue skinned person. Whatever it was he was eating, it smelled like fish and it smelled like it tasted good. "So our Princess returns," Kisame greeted her and she frowned at him. "I heard you had your first chakra lesson today. How did that go?" He asked, grinning all the while.

Sayuri's frowned turned into a glare. "It looks to me that you already know," she said haughtily.

Kisame tsked at her. "Don't forget to watch that attitude of yours Princess. Don't want to get a certain Uchiha upset." Her glare immediately wiped off from her face and she glanced over her shoulder at Itachi. His back was to her, but it still made her nervous. Kisame laughed again. "Leader should just put you under his care. He's got you under a good amount of control."

She opened her mouth to retort, but jumped about a mile high in her seat when Itachi spoke instead. "I have other things that I'd rather focus my energy into, Kisame. Besides, Kakuzu is the one that wants the blackmail money for her. She's his major responsibility." He set down a bowl in front of Sayuri, who couldn't even begin to compute what it was that was in her bowl. It a bland-looking gray and looked to have the consistency of oatmeal. The smell was a bit strong and Sayuri did her best not to make a face, in fear of insulting Itachi.

Kisame, on the other hand, had no problem with pointing out how inedible the meal looked. "I knew you weren't the best cook in the world Itachi, but that looks disgusting."

Itachi's eyes ever so slightly narrowed. "I didn't come up with the recipe for this. It's from Kakuzu. It has a lot of medicine and herbs mixed inside to make healthy."

"He can't possibly expect me to eat this." She said bug-eyed.

"You have to eat all of it. Now, we can do this voluntarily or involuntarily, your choice," Itachi stared down at her with his dead eyes and Sayuri's hand found a spoon.

She dipped the spoon into the Mystery Oatmeal, which she decided to call it, and raised the spoonful to her face. Holding her breath, she took the first bite and did all in her power to keep from spitting it out. After swallowing, she took in a big breath of air, which she quickly regretted, seeing that the Mystery Oatmeal had an aftertaste.

Kisame watched repulsed. "Yeah…I think I lost my appetite." He said, clearing the table and leaving the kitchen.

* * *

Sayuri groaned. "I feel worse than I did before."

"It'll be better for you in the long run." Itachi reminded her.

"Right. Where are we going?"

"To confront your past."

"That…just seems impossible." Itachi ignored her comment.

The two entered a dark room. The only source of light came from a single ignited candle. Itachi sat down, cross legged, and motioned Sayuri to do the same in front of him. "I want you to close your eyes and reflect on your past."

"I'm sorry Itachi-san, but I think this whole this is rather pointless."

"I'm already unhappy with having to act as a psychiatrist to a little girl. If you wish not to anger me further, I suggest you listen." Sayuri sat down in front Itachi. "Good, now close your eyes and breathe in and out."

"So it's like meditating?" She asked.

"Last time I checked, you don't talk while you're meditating."

Sayuri bit her lip and tried to return to the days of the past.

"_Sayu-chan, come here." She was ten years old again. A small, healthy ten year old girl, her turquoise color hair was pulled up in two pig tails. She went running up to her older brother, who was six years her senior. She ran into his arms, smiling. He had come home today from his private tutor's._

"_Nii-sama! You're home early! Will you play with me today? Please, please, please!"_

"_Sayuri! Behave yourself at once!"_

"_Otou-sama…" The young girl looked up at the tall regal man. She released her brother from her hug and bowed to her father in respect._

"_Nee, Oji she's just a kid."_

"_And you, do you realize what the other higher-ups are saying about you when your back is turned?"_

"_Well, since they're speaking behind my back, I don't really know do I? Why don't you tell me?" Masahiko dared his father._

"_Not in front of your sister…"_

"_Well then I guess you have nothing to tell me," He faked a grin and picked Sayuri up. "I'm taking Sayuri out today. We'll be back later." His grinned widen at his father's look of disapproval, before he took off._

"_Nee, Nii-sama," Sayuri said, once they were walking outside, "You shouldn't keep getting Otou-sama mad all the time."_

_Masahiko laughs. "Don't worry about that, Sayu-chan."_

"_But it scares me when he's angry…"_

_He ruffled her hair. "When I become Daimyou, you aren't gonna have to worry about that anymore. I'll always protect you."_

_Sayuri smiled up at him. "When I grow up, I want to marry you, Nii-sama!"_

_He bent down to kiss her forehead. "We'll see about that. Come now, angel we need to start playing today."_

"_You show me a play first!" She said excitedly. "Show me a play! The one on the water!"_

"_All right, stay back though okay?" Her older brother walked out onto the near-by river and did a number of hand signs. "__**Mizu no Soujuu**__." He whispered as many streams of water began to swirl around him and back into the water below. As his arms moved on the inside of the watery cage, the ropes of water also move in the same movements, whipping around in the air. Sayuri clapped in delight. "Dance water, dance!" She shouted._

_Masahiko stopped after a little while and walked back to shore. "It's your turn to play now Sayuri. Remember, to walk on water you need to focus on the energy in your body and disperse it evenly into your feet."_

"_Right!" The young girl tentatively took one step onto the water near the shore, then another, but on the third step fell in. Masahiko couldn't retain his laughter. She surfaced from beneath and pouted at her older brother. "One day you'll get it."_

"_I'm not anywhere as good as you Nii-sama. I can barely even make the water dance like you did." _

"_You have a lot of energy in your body Sayu-chan. I can tell, if I focus on it. You need to be sure to remember everything I taught you, so you can play on your own."_

"_Hm!" She nodded her head with a look of determination. "How do you make the water dance?"_

"_You just need to combine your energy with the water. This way, when you move, you and the water move as one."_

"_Nee, Nii-sama…"_

"_Hm?" _

"_All this stuff…it's like we're pretending ninja!"_

_He avoided looking at her directly in the eye. "Ninja," he laughed softly. "Yeah. If I train to be a ninja, then I'll be the most powerful daimyou. Even the leader of Taigakure would be under my control."_

"_Is that why we have to play so much? So that we can be powerful?"_

"_Yes, and that's exactly why you can't tell Otou-sama."_

"_Right!"_

_The two siblings didn't return until sundown. "Masahiko!" It was their father again. "The daimyou of the southern part of Fire Country is here today to discuss the engagement to his daughter."_

"_Nii-sama, what's an 'engagement'?"_

"_Nothing important, angel."_

"_Don't you dare say those words again! You're lucky I haven't disowned you yet."Their father scowled at his only son._

"_We both know you can't do that," Masahiko smiled at their father. His father looked down at Sayuri. "Why are you all wet?" He asked sternly._

"_I was playing!" _

"_Ladies do not play," He said slowly for emphasis._

"_Don't listen to what he says, Sayu-chan," Masahiko said with a yawn, earning a glare from their father, who then motioned Masahiko to follow him. Masahiko sighed and knelt before Sayuri. "Listen closely to me Sayuri, no matter what happens, you have to keep playing."_

"_Playing with the water?"_

"_Yes, no matter what, don't stop playing. You have to play every day, promise?" He held out a pinky finger._

_She grinned widely and took his pinky finger in her own. "Promise!"_

"_That's my angel." He kissed the top of her head. _

_The next morning, when Sayuri woke up, she heard shouts. _

"_WHERE IS HE? FIND HIM?"_

"_DID YOU CHECK THE WEST WING?"_

"_SEARCH THE GROUNDS!"_

_She climbed out of bed and went to her parents' room. Only her mother was there, she was crying."Mama, what's wrong? Was Daddy being mean to you?"_

_Surprising Sayuri, her mother took the child in her arms. "Sayuri-chan! Masa-Masahiko…he's gone." _

_Sayuri's ten year old eyes grew wide and shook her head. "No he's not Mama. Masahiko would never leave."_

_Her mother continuously shook her head and continued to murmur her son's name. Sayuri couldn't understand why Masahiko disappeared and although she tried, she couldn't bring herself to ever play again._

Sayuri slowly opened her eyes. A single tear hung on the end of her lash before dripping off into her lap. She looked up. Itachi was gone. The only other object present in the room was the burning candle. The wick had burned quite a bit. He had left her alone. She was still upset about it. She had done nothing wrong. She felt as though he had betrayed her, but how long could she hold on to those feelings? She's already held them for 9 years.

Then again, he could have had a reason. A reason why he left, something he couldn't tell her, maybe because he loved her. Then she remembered the promise she made him. Guilt over swept her. She hadn't listened to her brother at all. She had let sadness consume her and slowly destroy her, body and soul. She hadn't played in a long time. She couldn't help but smile. How silly she had been for the past 9 years of her life! How much time she has wasted! "Maybe," she whispered to herself. "It's time to start anew."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: SOOO sorry for not posting a chapter in a while. For those who may not know, my old laptop broke and so I couldn't post anything. Not only that, but all my previous data for my stories are gone, so yeah. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter...it's not exactly the best, but hey I tried my...best? Ha ha! Please remember to review. Feedback is much appreciated!**

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**C H A P T E R S E V E N**

"Aren't I amazing Sasori?"

"You allow your arrogance to rise any higher and I won't hesitate to cut it down."

Sayuri blanched slightly, but her grin still remained. She held her left hand out in front of her; it was covered in light blue light, her chakra. "Haven't I progressed well though?"

"Yes, you have progressed much within the last three days," Sasori admitted. "However, your level of chakra control is still only a little above amateur. Even though you have successfully controlled your chakra and concentrated it to one place, the amount of time you can control is clearly limited." As if on cue Sayuri was beginning to feel a bit light headed. Sasori didn't fail to notice this. "See? Not even twenty minutes has passed and you already feel dizzy."

She frowned and her chakra faded away. "You can at least try to be encouraging."

"I already complimented you. I think that's enough for one day." He allowed her to leave the room. Sasori sighed before taking a seat at his workshop desk. He glanced over a few papers when he noticed he hadn't opened a scroll he had received from Masahiko earlier that morning:

_Sasori-sama,_

_I'm pleased to inform you that operations here in the Hidden Village of the Sand are running smoothly. None of the Sand-nin are suspicious of me or Shoren's actions. We've been able to collect various information on the Kazekage's habits and routines on a day to day basis. To be honest I find my job here to be an absolute bore. I do not mean to disrespect you in any way, however I do believe that stationing me in this village is a waste of my abilities. I'm sure you may be able to find another subordinate feel that could relieve me of my "duties" here. After all, the skill level needed for an observation mission isn't very high at all._

_I have been wondering of the progress you have made with my little sister; of course, I think you have made very little progress, if any at all. No offense to you. Little Sayuri has face nine years of having her true self being repressed by the rules of upper class society and essentially her chakra. I doubt teaching her chakra control is an easy task that is if she has any chakra in the first place. For as long I can remember, Sayuri has always looked up to me, admired me, worshipped me and I can assure you she probably still feels the same way. Allow me to return by your side, Sasori-sama, and allow me to fulfill the goals of the Akatsuki._

_Your Humble Servant, Masahiko_

Sasori scoffed at the short letter and threw the scroll of to the side. What an arrogant person Masahiko was. Sayuri was very much the same. The young male Hasegawa wasn't that amazing, although Sasori did admit that he was well above average. Despite Masahiko's talent and so called loyalty to Sasori, Sasori felt that a bit…uncanny with the fact that Masahiko had correctly predicted the problems Sayuri had with chakra control. He hadn't even mentioned teaching Sayuri chakra control to Masahiko. It was apparent to Sasori that Masahiko must have an ulterior motive; Masahiko's personality alone went against the idea of taking orders from a superior. Sasori shook his head. He could not allow Masahiko to return. His presence here may prolong Sayuri's chakra development, but on the other hand it may actually quicken the process. Sasori simply didn't know much about Sayuri to decide what the outcome could possibly be.

A knock came to the door, but before Sasori could even answer, the person knocking walked in. The masked bounty hunter stood in the doorway. "Where is she?"

"I'm surprised that she is the first person you ask for upon your return. How touching…"

"Where is she? Hidan said he didn't know."

"You even asked Hidan? What made you think he would know?" Sasori paused for a moment. "She's progress quite a bit in chakra control," Sasori continued. "She's nothing spectacular, but I think she's getting the basics down."

Kakuzu sighed and sat in one of the spare chairs of the room. "If you want to sit and chat so bad, then make it quick." Kakuzu growled.

"I've come across a possible problem that I must later discuss with Leader-sama. Masahiko has asked to return here."

Kakuzu's eyes narrowed. "No he is not. Not while I'm here. I'm not going to be able to handle two nobles here."

"You already seem to be handling one on your own. As I've said before you have well trained." He ignored Kakuzu's piercing glare. "You won't have to, or at least you shouldn't have to, deal with Masahiko as well. I'll be informing him that I disapprove of his wishes."

"You know how Masahiko can be. He does whatever he feels like and justifies it well…I think you have a soft spot for the boy."

Sasori simply stared at Kakuzu. "Hardly, just be prepared for Masahiko to drop by at any time. I wanted to warn you, since you are the girl's caretaker. He'll probably want to spend time with her."

"Great…now where is she?" Kakuzu asked again, getting rather impatient.

"I sent her away. She was beginning to feel a bit fatigued."

"What are you making her do?"

"Nothing. The training we do is very basic. Even though she has become somewhat stronger, she's still rather weak. Her body simply isn't used to such activities."

"Has she been eating?"

"I've said all I needed to say. Go ask her how she is if you're so worried. She's probably in your room." Sasori turned his back to Kakuzu and Kakuzu left.

As he approached the door to his room, he could sense her presence inside. To his great annoyance, when he opened the door, he found Sayuri fast asleep in his bed. He stood there in the doorway, for once hesitant on what to do. It was in that instant he pictured her; that woman from long ago. The woman and the memories he had of her were pushed into the far depths of his mind. Namori…her name alone made Kakuzu sneer. He, by no means, loved her any longer. After all, that was many years ago. However, he could not deny that Namori had changed his life, had changed him, and not for the better…

Sayuri rustled around beneath the bed covers before sitting up. Her eyes grew wide. "You're back!"

"Hn." Kakuzu walked in and set his suitcase on the desk. He sat down, readying himself to begin counting his total amount of money. "Do you need something?" he asked Sayuri.

"I didn't say anything."

"I can feel you looking at me. If you have something to say, say it."

She chewed at her bottom lip. "I just thought you were going to kick me out of the bed that's all."

"You should rest."

"Rest?" She repeated in complete disbelief.

"Yes, your chakra levels are evidently low. Are you so weak that you can't even train at the academy student level without tiring yourself?"

The corner of Sayuri's mouth twitched. Here she thought he was actually being thoughtful. "Well, what took you so long?"

Kakuzu smirked beneath his mask. "Did you miss me?"

Did she? Distance makes the heart grow fonder, or at least that's what they say. Sayuri, a bit taken aback from his response, retaliated with a simple answer. "No." He could tell she was lying to a certain extent. "Hidan and Sasori aren't exactly the most enjoyable people to spend time with. Hidan is very foul-mouthed and rude about 99.9% of the time and Sasori can be very degrading."

"And I'm any better?"

"Well…" Sayuri wanted to say "Yes", but was afraid to. "So what took you so long?"

"My bounty was a bit more cunning than I originally thought; I won't deny he gave me some trouble."

"Why didn't you just give him up? I'm sure there are others you could probably…." She immediately stopped talking when Kakuzu slammed his hand on the table. "Failure is not an option. Once I set my sight on a bounty, I will get it."

"Oh, okay." She laid back in the bed, deciding to let Kakuzu's outburst slide. She snuggled against the pillows. Kakuzu sighed. Now the bed was going to smell like her…but wait… "Did you take a shower?"

It felt as though there was something stuck in Sayuri's throat. "Y-Yes, since you weren't here and everything…"

The silence that rang through the air brought dread to the young girl buried in the bed sheets. She couldn't tell if Kakuzu was angry or not with her. "Don't use my things without my permission."

A sigh of relief was heard. "Kay." She relaxed again and soon found herself slowly drifting off to sleep. She knew she should have allowed sleep to overtake her, but her curiosity was burning away at her. "What's wrong with failure? Everyone fails at one point. You can always try being successful another day."

Kakuzu paused in his counting. Surprisingly enough, he didn't feel anger boiling up in his stomach from her question. "Failure isn't an option because when you fail, you may end up losing everything."

"Like Namori?" Sayuri dared to ask.

Kakuzu shut his eyes. "No, she most certainly wasn't 'everything'. Never say that name again." He returned to counting his money.

Sayuri shifted in the bed. "Alright…" She tried falling asleep, but the wheels of her mind were turning. Who exactly was this 'Namori' person?

When Sayuri next woke up, the room was dark and she was very much alone. Panic ran through her system as she wondered where Kakuzu had gone. Had he left already to hunt for another bounty? She kicked her legs out of bed and decided to go look for him. She hadn't made as much as a step out of the room when she heard someone. "Look the Bitch awakens," Hidan snickered.

"Oh, it's you…"

"Hey! What the hell is up with that attitude!"

"I'm sorry," She apologized with a weak smile. "I just woke up so I'm a bit drowsy…"

"Really?" Hidan raised an eyebrow. "Bullshit, now let's go. Itachi says it's time to feed ya. So I get to go heat up some of that medical crap Kakuzu wants us to give you."

"I've said it many times before. I am not a pet."

"Che, you might as well be."

"Uh, Hidan," She started as she walked slightly behind him. "Where's Kakuzu?"

"Why the hell are you asking about that old fart for?"

"I'm…just wondering…"

"Dunno where the hell that guy is. I think he went out about 10 minutes or so after he got back. Greedy assed bastard probably went out again to hunt for another bounty."

"Oh…."

A grin grew on Hidan's face. "Don't tell me. You made him mad again didn't you? Ha ha! You're too much! We gotta keep you around!"

Sayuri glared at him. "I don't think it's funny. What if I made him angry!"

"All the more fun for me. What the fuck you say to him anyway?"

"I didn't say anything…offensive. At least I don't think I did." A look of thought crossed her face as she thought back to earlier that day. "I did mention this person named Namori."

"Namori?"

"Uh, yes?"

For once, Hidan looked a bit grave. "You shouldn't have mentioned that."

"Is it really that bad?"

"Bad? It's fucking terrible! I'm surprised you're not beaten up or anything."

"B-beaten up?"

"Yeah," Hidan stopped walking. "It was maybe a couple years back. Kakuzu and I were out on another god damn mission. We set up a small camp site to sleep for the night and I took the first watch. Maybe about half an hour later I started hearing a voice. For a minute I thought I was fucking hearing things, ya know? But then I realized that Kakuzu was muttering in his sleep, which was kind of weird, since he'd never done it before. All I could make out was the name Namori, so when it was time for his shift, I asked him who Namori was."

"What did he say?" Sayuri asked wide eyed.

"The fucking bastard didn't say anything. He decapitated me." Hidan growled. "Whoever this Namori person was, he doesn't like her at all. I mentioned a few times after, trying to make a simple joke of it, only to have various limbs cut off."

"So he really doesn't like her." Sayuri said feeling suddenly relieved. She shook her head. Relieved? From what exactly? The fact that Kakuzu had another woman in his life? What did it even matter? Since when did she care for that good for nothing…?

"I just decided that it's best not to bring up that chick anymore. Too much damn trouble for me, no matter how much it riles him up." Hidan said, patting her rather hardly on the back. "It's strange though. He gets really violent when someone mentions her. He should've at least given you a fucking bruise or something." He examined Sayuri as though she was an interesting specimen, then he grinned. "Maybe he just likes ya."

Sayuri looked at him repulsed and hurried off to the kitchen. She wasn't really repulsed…she was more so embarrassed? Sayuri wasn't sure exactly how she felt about Hidan's comment. Then again, what did he know? A thought came to her, a thought that hit her like a ton of bricks. Kakuzu had a past, a history that influences who he is today. Whatever had happened to him must have been serious if it still has an effect on him and for some reason Sayuri wanted to know what it was. As she entered the kitchen she immediately noticed the figure with his back to her. "Tell me about Namori."

"I thought I already told you that I do not want to talk about that person." Kakuzu said with a voice filled with venom.

"I want to know."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Another chapter, it's a bit shorter than others and Kakuzu may be OOC, but I tried my best. I mean, it is a romance story; it'd be hard to keep Kakuzu in character. XP Anyways, reviews would be absolutely lovely, so please be sure to leave one! I hope to post the next chapter within the week!**

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**C H A P T E R E I G H T**

"I want to know." Sayuri said with a voice of pure determination.

"It's none of your business, so I suggest you drop it before something happens." Kakuzu could feel his anger reaching its boiling point. To be honest, he didn't really want to hurt the girl, but with the way things were going…

"What's going to happen? Are you going to lose control of yourself again?"

"Yes! Yes I will! So shut it, if you know what's good for you."

"I refuse!"

"Don't let your noble's pride get the better of you!"

"And don't let your temper get the better of you!"

Kakuzu stopped stirring his medical brew and turned off the stove. "My past is none of your business."

"Itachi-san says that dwelling on the past keeps you from living in the present or something like that…"

He spun around. "What makes you think that I would listen to one of Itachi's proverbs?"

"Well it seems to make a lot of sense. Am I wrong?"

"As much sense as it may have, I am not 'dwelling' on the past as you say." Kakuzu said slowly, trying to keep a level head.

"Alright, you may not be dwelling on it, but you're at least thinking about it, about her."

"The only reason I've been thinking about her is because of you!" Kakuzu shouted without thinking.

"Me? Don't try blaming it on me! Hidan told me about how sometimes you say her name in your sleep before I even came here!"

"He. Said. What!"

Sayuri swallowed nervously. Maybe it was best not to mention that. Now Hidan will probably have to face Kakuzu's wrath too. "Just tell me who she was. Tell me what she meant to you. I'm not going to back down! I know I'm not nearly as powerful as you, but I'm not the weak noble you think I am!"

Kakuzu laughed darkly. "Is this what this is about? To show me you're not weak? And do you think you've found **my **weakness!" His hand shot out to grasp her by the neck. She struggled against his death grip, but it was to no avail. "But what I want to know is why you want to know about Namori so badly. She has nothing to do with you."

"But she has everything to do with you." Sayuri said through gritted teeth. "Even I can see it, no matter how you try to keep it under the wraps. She was your everything."

He laughed again. "Ha, the keyword is 'was'."

"What did she do to hurt you?"

"Hurt me? Impossible."

"Then why are you so upset?" She asked and the question seemed to strike a chord within him. He released her and she fell to the ground; her body fell limp as she struggled to regain her breath. He looked down at her with eyes that looked as though they were tired. "Upset? You know nothing, Noble." She flinched at the way he addressed her. "But I admit you amuse me. You're not the same person you were when you first arrived here, and that was only a few and some odd days ago. I'll tell you what you want to know, if you can answer my question. Why do you care to know?" Did she have an answer? She didn't know, or at least she wasn't sure. She was too afraid to say. He stood there for a moment before leaving her alone in the kitchen.

A few minutes she heard something crash. Chills shot up her spine; she made Kakuzu angry. The feeling of idiocy was rising. Foolish couldn't even compare to what Sayuri was feeling right then. "What are you doing?"

Sayuri looked above her to see Itachi standing above her. "I-I…"

"I think everyone in base heard you and Kakuzu's yelling."

"They did?"

"Yes, and I think it would be best that you better steer away from him for a while." He peered into the pot Kakuzu was using to cook before, but only poured out a serving for Sayuri. After placing it on the table, he proceeded to the pantry to see if he could dig up something to eat there. Although she was a bit shaken, Sayuri stood up and sat at the table, preparing to eat the Mystery Oatmeal. "What is it you and Kakuzu were arguing about?"

"I asked him about Namori."

"Namori? You're more foolish than I thought."

"Thank you Itachi-san, but I think I already know that." Stuffing herself with the Mystery Oatmeal, hoping to choke herself. "I was just wondering about him and his relationship with her."

He sighed. "All I know of Kakuzu is that he's from Taigakure, the Hidden Waterfall Village. Many years ago, before you and I were even born, he was sent to assassinate the first Hokage. However he was defeated, he proved no match. When he returned to Taigakure, well, I'm assuming things didn't go well between him and his superiors, since he left the village. I don't know where this Namori person comes into play."

"How do you know about her?"

"Just about everyone in the organization has heard her name at least once. No one talks about it though, because they're wise enough not to."

"I understand already. What I did was stupid."

"Good."

"ARGGGHHHH!" Both Itachi and Sayuri jumped at someone's scream. "EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT HER! WHAT'S IT MATTER WHAT I TOLD THAT SAYURI-BITCH ANYWAY?" There was a pause. "HOLY FUCK! WILL YOU STOP THAT! YOU'RE GOING TO END UP PUTTING ME TOGETHER AGAIN ANYWAY!"

Itachi glanced over at Sayuri. "You dragged Hidan into this as well."

"I didn't mean too…"

"YOU!" Hidan busted into the kitchen carrying one of his arms. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING! I OUGHTA SACRIFICE YOU TO JASHIN!"

"I just sort of let it slip. I didn't mean to!"

"I DIDN'T MEAN TO? WELL 'I DIDN'T MEAN TO' JUST GOT MY ARM CUT OFF AND KAKUZU IS TOO TICKED OFF TO FIX IT!"

"I'm sorry."

"I'M SORRY? THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY! WELL, 'SORRY' ISN'T GOING TO FIX MY ARM SO GET YOUR ASS OUTTA THAT CHAIR AND FIND KAKUZU!"

"Find Kakuzu? You are crazy!"

"I actually agree with Hidan. You caused this problem, so you must take responsibility and fix it." Itachi agreed.

"WAH!" She buried her face in her hands. "I feel like such an idiot!"

"Good!" Hidan shouted.

"Stop shouting Hidan." Itachi glared at him. "Why did you even ask Kakuzu about Namori, Sayuri? Your actions are may cause unrest within the Akatsuki and can't be over looked for long. Maybe we should have someone else be your caretaker instead."

Sayuri stood in her seat. "NO!" Hidan and Itachi stared at her until she sat down, her fists shaking. "I don't want anyone else to watch over me."

Itachi looked at her through half lidded eyes. "Don't tell me you have feelings for him?"

"No, it's just that…"

"There's no use in lying. You obviously hold some sort of attachment to him, since you don't want to be separated from him."

"Ha ha! Looks like our little Bitch has a crush!" Sayuri was now brick red and felt like a foolish preteen girl. She didn't have a crush on Kakuzu and doesn't Hidan have anything better to do than tease her? "Get a move on! Kakuzu went back into his room."

"You want me to confront him in his own domain!" Sayuri shouted.

"Hell yeah! The sooner the better! Kakuzu and I have to leave next week and I don't want to travel with someone who has an enormous stick up his ass!"

Sayuri whined. "Can't someone come with me?"

"Go." Itachi's voice commanded and Sayuri didn't hesitate to leave the kitchen.

The walk from the kitchen to Kakuzu's room was long and painful. The dread she felt was so overwhelming that she felt she was going to puke right then and there. She slapped herself in the face. This was not a time to act cowardly. She was an adult! She should be able to handle her problems in a calm and collected way. So what if Kakuzu was an S-ranked criminal and one of the most wanted men in the world? The thought of that made her even sicker. Her strides became shorter and smaller as her resolve began to dwindle.

"Ooof!" Sayuri suddenly fell to the ground. Her legs decided to give out on her. "Not now! I thought I was getting better."

"Like I said before, the number of years you've neglected taking care of yourself properly can't be reserved in a short amount of time."

Sayuri gasped, when she realized exactly who was standing behind her. "K-Kakuzu? Hidan said…y-you were in the r-room."

"Stop stuttering. It makes you look even more pathetic." She zipped her lip shut. He crouched down before her and she tried to back away. "Come here."

"What for?" She asked incredulously.

"I'm going to have to carry you back to the room, unless you want someone else to find you."

Knowing that he was right, she lifted her arms in defeat. He easily lifted her in his arms and effortlessly carried her to his room. Once again, Sayuri found herself burying her face into her hands. "This is so embarrassing," she found herself mumbling.

Kakuzu chose to ignore it, because he felt that same embarrassing feeling. He had no idea what he was doing. He was just arguing with this foolish girl a few minutes ago and here he was carrying her. What has gotten into him? Was it because the memories he had of Namori were resurfacing? No, he didn't want to think of her. He has to focus on his job at hand; training this girl in chakra control and then holding her for ransom. But oh the things he wanted to do to the girl he held in his arms. How easy it would be to crush her to death…

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a door knob click. Apparently, Sayuri took the liberty of opening the door. He went inside and tossed her onto the bed. The bed creaked as she landed on top of it. "Good. You're gaining weight." Kakuzu commented passively. If Sayuri was any other girl, this would seem extremely insulting. Kakuzu sat down at his desk. Sayuri sat on the bed and yet the silence was only killing her.

"Ummm…Kakuzu?" She said in a small voice.

"What?" He asked sharply.

"Y-you know how you said that if I answered your question, you'd tell me everything?"

He turned in his chair and stared her down with his green and red eyes. "You have an answer?"

"Yes. The reason why I want to know…or the reason I care to know…is because I think I…c-care about you?"

"Pfft, is that a question or a statement?"

"_Why!"_ She screamed inside her mind. _"Why couldn't he just accept my answer? Why can't he look away now?"_ She began to wonder if her legs were working yet, maybe she could still make a break for it. "It's just that I…"

"You're a foolish girl." He then looked away from her. "I…I loved her more than anything. To me she was my everything, but, in the end, she betrayed me."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Another chapter...a bit iffy on this, but whatever. I've been busy playing an otome game...it's so addicting. TT_TT Anyways, thanks for the reviews, alerts, and favorites. More reviews are MUCH appreciated, so please click that review button. ;D Sorry for any mistakes I may have.**

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**C H A P T E R N I N E**

_It was dark and slightly damp inside the cell. There was only one occupant, chained to the wall. This man's spirit was nearly shattered. How could he fail his mission? No, how could the village head even think of sending him on such an impossible mission? How could he ever dream of successfully taking out the Hokage, when the village head couldn't even do it?_

"_You're perfect for the job. You're probably one of the strongest shinobi we have in Taigakure! You may even be stronger than the village head himself. Only you can carry out this mission!" That's what she had told him and he believed every word._

_Footsteps echoed in the halls and came to a stop in front of his stall. He lifted his head, looking up at his visitor with his red and green eyes. She gazed down at him with her blue eyes. "Namori! Namori, help me! When I returned, they imprisoned me. If you could convince your father to persuade the village head, then maybe I can get out of here."_

_She laughed; it was a long and hollow laugh. "Help you? I can't do such a thing. The village head and elders have already made their decision and I think they're quite right. How could you lose to the Hokage, Kakuzu?"_

_He glared at here. "It wasn't exactly the easiest task in the world!"_

"_I think it's better that you're behind bars. We both know you have quite the temper; many of the villagers are quite frightened of you."_

_Kakuzu tried to keep his anger under control. "But if I'm stuck here, how could we be together?"_

"_Together? What makes you think that? I'm a noble and you're a shinobi. You've had to climb your way to the top, only to fall to the bottom again."_

"_I don't understand! Don't you love me! Because I love you! I love you more than anything!" He shouted._

"_See? There goes your temper again." She held onto the bars of the cell. "Why would I love you? You and your temper, you and your strange tendrils, you and your creepy eyes…the list goes on and on. Besides, I'm planning on marrying the village head's son. We've been seeing each other for a while now…"_

"_DON'T I MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME! WHY EVEN BOTHER!"_

"_Because the village elders thought you were the best ninja we had to assassinate the Hokage, I was merely motivation. I you had succeeded, the Hidden Waterfall Village would have a chance to rise in power. Also…you were quite fun to play with."_

_Kakuzu couldn't believe his ears. "Am I really nothing more than a toy?" When she didn't answer him, he began yelling again. "YOU GOD DAMNED BITCH! GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE! LEAVE ME ALONE! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE EVER AGAIN!"_

_She smirked. "Don't worry, because I know I'm not going to be seeing your face ever again."_

_It was his biggest blow; worse than losing the battle to the Hokage. He managed to escape his imprisonment a few weeks later. Namori was the first person he killed during his rampage._

Kakuzu woke up, feeling like crap. He looked to his left and nearly jumped out of his bed. Sayuri was there, sleeping curled up in a fetus position. She looked healthier than when he first saw her. Her cheeks weren't as hollow anymore and her limbs no longer looked like twigs, or at least from what he could tell. He watched her breathe slowly in and out, her chest rising and falling, before he rolled over to face the other direction. He felt like he'd been drugged. He hadn't been acting like himself yesterday. One, he didn't even strike Sayuri once, well he did choke her, but it didn't leave a mark or anything. Two, he actually told her a bit about Namori. _"I…I loved her more than anything. To me she was my everything, but, in the end, she betrayed me."_ His words repeated in his head over and over; even though that was all he told her on the matter, it was still difficult for him to do. He was thankful Sayuri didn't ask for an in depth explanation; she had accepted his words without complaint, without demanding for more.

Sighing, he got out of bed, deciding it was best for him to get ready before Sayuri. He didn't want her seeing his face again; however, Sayuri noticed him shifting in the bed. "Kakuzu?" He could hear the uneasiness in her voice. She wasn't sure if he was angry or not.

"Just sleep. I'll wake you later."

"Are you going to train me today?" Sayuri asked. What was it that Kakuzu heard in her voice? Was she sounding hopeful?

He turned his head to look back down at her. "If you'd like me to."

She stared up at him, with her coal black eyes. His face wasn't very visible in the dark. "Yes, I'd like you to."

Kakuzu said nothing to this and went to the bathroom. Sayuri laid still for about five minutes, before stretching out on the bed like a cat. She raised her head a bit at the sound of the shower starting and then buried her face into a pillow. The heavy feeling she felt in her stomach was killing her. It was strange. She and Kakuzu had somehow reached a common ground of neutral agreement last night and how they even came to an agreement amazed her, since she had no idea how it even happened. A part of her, a huge part of her, was afraid that this agreeable Kakuzu would soon disappear, and the day had barely even started. "MAAHHHHHH!" She moaned into the pillow and began wiggling around like a worm. She nearly pissed her pants when she heard Kakuzu behind her. "What the hell are you doing?"

Oh how Sayuri wished to die. She didn't answer him and pulled the covers over her head, only to have them ripped off. "It's time to get up."

"You were only in the shower for like, 10 minutes! Not even 10! Maybe like 5!" Sayuri whined, trying to tug the blankets back from Kakuzu.

"You are getting up now. I'll be training you for the majority of the day; Leader wants you to be sufficiently trained by the end of the month."

She rolled out of bed. "May I have breakfast first?"

"You'll eat later." He grunted. Sayuri's stomach cried in complaint, but followed Kakuzu out of the room anyway.

The young noblewoman's right eye twitched slightly and both her eyes were wet with tears. Her chest heaved heavily up and down as she crouched over in pain. Her thin hands shook as they strained to keep herself from falling flat on her face. "Get up." She peered up at the monstrous man standing above her. Suddenly, her training sessions with Sasori didn't seem so bad.

"W-why are you sparing me?" She panted. "This…this is ridiculous." She said in between breaths. "Sasori never told me anything about learning how to actually fight."

"We're not going to be sending you off to battle or anything like that. **That** would be ridiculous."

She pouted. "I know that…wait, what! Then what's the point of this?"

"Sparing will help you gain a better feel for your chakra. By the end of the month I want you to last at least thirty minutes."

"Thirty minutes!" Sayuri's eyes bugged out. "I can barely last five!"

"Then I guess you better focus before I beat you to a pulp."

She gulped. "You could at least go a little easier on me."

"I see no point in that." He replied heartlessly. A dark cloud grew over Sayuri's head. This guy was unbelievable. "Ahem…" Kakuzu coughed. She looked up to see his hand outstretched. "We've been training for three hours now. You can get breakfast." Yep, unbelievable. Why was Kakuzu being nice or at least as nice as Kakuzu could be?

"Will you hurry up?" Kakuzu growled, startling her. She reached up and he pulled her up, a little too hard.

"Oof!" Sayuri collided face first into Kakuzu's chest. She immediately froze up, even though every brain cell in her head was screaming at her to move. On the other hand, Kakuzu simply ignored this and proceeded to dragging her away to the kitchen.

As they approached the kitchen, a shout could be heard from a certain bomber. "You gotta be kidding me!" Both Kakuzu and Sayuri walked in to see Deidara glaring at Sasori. "I can't **stand** him! Why can't he just stay out in the Hidden Sand Village, un!"

Sasori was tempted to roll his eyes. "For the last time Deidara, I didn't say he was coming. I just told you to be prepared if he does arrive…which he most like will." He added under his breath.

"What's going on?" Sayuri asked, sitting beside Sasori since Deidara seemed a bit too…energetic for her tastes.

"It's nothing. Deidara's just overreacting."

"I am not! I hate that man! You know that! Why can't you control your subordinates better, un!"

"You have other subordinates, Sasori-san? I thought Deidara-san was your only one." Sayuri pondered on what Sasori's other subordinates must look like.

"Subordinate! We're partners!" Deidara shouted.

"Yes I do," Sasori answered Sayuri completely ignoring Deidara's outburst. "I have them stationed around different parts of the world."

"That's…quite amazing." She said truthfully, but then making a face at the bowl of Mystery Oatmeal that was placed in front of her.

"Hurry up and eat it." Kakuzu ordered, sitting next to Deidara.

"I'm starting to eat more and I'm not as sickly anymore, when can I eat normal food?"

"You fell over just the other day." Kakuzu glared at her. "Be thankful for what you get; besides I'm taking you out later."

Everyone in the kitchen fell silent and all eyes were on the self-proclaimed treasurer of the Akatsuki. Out of nowhere, Hidan bursted in yelling, "I CAN'T FUCKING BELIEVE IT!"

"Che, we're indoors. Can you please refrain from screeching like a maniac?" Kakuzu said, without even looking at the Jashinist.

"HOW CAN I NOT! You're going out…to spend money…on her of all people!"

"I need to take her outside sometime…"

"I've said it once, and I'll say it again. I am not a pet!" Sayuri interjected.

"Hurry up and eat." Kakuzu said, quickly shutting her up.

"Why don't you ever take **me **out you cheap old bastard!" Hidan whined.

"You've got to be kidding me." Sasori muttered and left the room. Meanwhile Deidara kicked back, enjoying the show.

"What are you a child?" Kakuzu asked Hidan. "Go perform one of your stupid rituals."

Hidan exploded. "DON'T INSULT…"

A crash was heard as Hidan was slammed into the wall by Kakuzu's right hand. "We're leaving Sayuri."

Sayuri slurped up the rest of the Mystery Oatmeal and stood up without hesitation. "Okay."

As they left the room, Hidan was slumped over near the wall, rubbing the back of his head. "Heh heh, you were asking for it, un."

"Deidara…shut the fuck up."

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"You forgot your cloak." Sayuri noticed as she walked beside Kakuzu.

"I won't be needing it. It'll only draw attention." Kakuzu said.

She looked at the hat he carried in his other hand. "Then why do you have your straw hat?"

He abruptly stopped. "It's not for me." He placed it on her head. "This way people won't recognize you. I wouldn't be surprised if there are ninja looking for you."

"Oh." The hat was big on her and when she tilted it up she nearly blinded herself. She didn't realize that the sun was so bright; maybe it was because she had been stuck inside for such a long time. "So what are we doing?" She asked, not really believing that he was taking her out to eat of all things. He must have some ulterior motive.

"I'm taking you out to eat. You ask one more time, the only thing you'll be eating is my fist…"

She stopped walking. "Ah! So you really are going to buy me something!" Sayuri gasped in surprise.

"That's what I said, didn't I?" He walked on ahead, without looking back at her.

"Kakuzu!" She called out his name, not really knowing what to say after attaining his attention. "Um…thanks for treating me today."

"Pfft, I haven't gotten you anything yet." He kept on walking.

"Right…" She ran up to walk beside him again.

"There's the place up ahead." Sayuri looked ahead and was a little put out to see a small shack or maybe stand. She sighed. She should have known the place was going to be cheap. It was Kakuzu who was treating her today. "Steamed pork bun." Kakuzu ordered, placing some money on the counter. A few minutes later they were sitting on a rock as Sayuri stuffed herself. She hadn't realized how much she had missed real food.

Kakuzu snorted. "Pig…"

"You try surviving on nothing but Mystery Oatmeal for a good week or so!" She said defensively.

"I'd think you'd be used to it, after all you were practically starving yourself before."

Sayuri had nothing to say to that, so she took another bite out of the meat bun. She pouted at the bun, glanced at Kakuzu, then looked back at the bun. Next thing Kakuzu knew, there was a half-eaten pork bun in his face. "Do you want some?" She muttered…was she blushing?

He pushed it away from his face. "No."

"Now you're making me feel guilty about eating it! I insist."

"I decline." The bun was pushed back into his face. He could feel his eye twitch. His finger slowly pulled down his mask and he took a quick bite, before pulling up his mask again.

Sayuri grinned, which quickly disappeared when he gave her a "shut up" look. "Hey, Kakuzu…"

"What?"

"Why do you wear that mask?"

"Why is your hair blue?"

"I-I was just born this way! Why else would it be blue?" She answered him.

"Well, I was just born **this** way." He stood up.

"You were born with a mask on your face?"

"Yes. Now let's go. We need to return to training." Kakuzu began to return to base, while Sayuri sat there unsatisfied with his answer.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took a while. I got stuck in the middle, because I knew what I wanted to happen, I just couldn't find the words to describe it. I'm starting to feel sorry for Kakuzu and Sayuri. I keep screwing it up for them, ha ha. It'll probably take a while for the next chapter to come out. I need to get my thoughts straight to figure out where to go from here. Sorry ahead of time for any mistakes I may have. Please leave a REVIEW to tell me what you think!**

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**C H A P T E R T E N **

_She walked down the rows of men. _

_She searched only for one._

_Her efforts were fruitless._

_Alone in her room she cried._

_When she thought back on those days of her childhood, she couldn't help but laugh at her silliness._

"_I hoped one day he'd come back home, but he never did."_

The young noble slowly opened her eyes a crack. A dream, a bad dream had awakened her. She made to sit up, but her muscles groaned loudly in protest. Wishing for more rest, she settled back down in the bed and nuzzled her face into her warm pillow. Her warm, softly beating, pillow…beating…pillow? Dread pooled in Sayuri's stomach. This didn't happen the night before and when they went to bed, they were sure to stay on the opposite sides of the bed. Oh, why did they have to shift positions during the night? There was no use in whining about it to herself now. A blush rose to her face, which she didn't bother hiding since Kakuzu wasn't awake anyways. She had never been this close to Kakuzu before, and it was a bit overwhelming. She could **feel** him breathing against her and his scent was all she could smell. She took this time to examine his face, really examine it, since he usually wore a mask during the day. It was a normal, handsomely chiseled face, if one ignored the stiches on the corners of his cheeks. She didn't mind them. She thought it only added to his character, his unique, short-tempered character…

What was she doing? She needed to get away from Kakuzu, before he woke up. Who knew what he'd do if he found her like this in his arms? Then again, she could just blame Kakuzu for this situation, but he could end up hurting her in the process. So, blaming Kakuzu was a no go. She couldn't just get out of bed either, Kakuzu would surely notice; He was a ninja after all. Ideas were frantically swirling in her head, trying to find some sort of escape, but found none. All she could do was lay there and wait for him to wake.

So she allowed her thoughts to drift as she herself began to drift in and out of consciousness. She thought of her home and what she left behind, which wasn't much: her father, mother, Shizuka, and her balcony. Left behind? It wasn't as if she had a choice in the matter. She didn't ask to be taken by the Akatsuki. No, she wasn't even taken. She was given away. What has happened to Shizuka? Surely, she was worried, but Sayuri pictured her comforting her weeping mother instead. She missed her balcony; she missed gazing at the starry night sky. She had stood on that balcony for just about every night since Masahiko disappeared, hoping he'd come back. That was all she could do, wait, and waiting made her feel like one of the most useless beings in the world. THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, Kakuzu's rhythmic heart beats calmed her and she soon lulled off to sleep again.

Kakuzu's eyes snapped open at the feeling of something wrapping around his waist. However, he soon relaxed when he realized where he was. He was safe, in his room, with Sayuri curled up and asleep in his arms…he sighed. He couldn't deny the fact that he was absolutely mortified to find the girl in his arms. Actually he was more mortified that **he** had put his arms around **her**. At least she was asleep, hopefully she was so tired from yesterday's training that she wouldn't notice if he slipped away. Trying his best not to apply much pressure to the bed, he freed one of his arms from beneath her and gently pushed himself away. "Don't go." He heard her mumble and he froze, fearing that she had awakened.

He began to move again, but she repeated her sentence. "Don't go, please…" This time she sort of rolled towards him as if trying to get him to hold her in his arms again.

"_Stop moving, stop moving," _He pleaded in his mind, trying his best to stay out of reach without making sudden movements. "Please don't go…" She was still trying to find something to grab, so he placed a pillow next to hear. If the pillow was a puppy, she'd probably be crushing it to death. Strange girl, she didn't make any sense. Why did she ask for him? Why did she want him by her side as she slept? She'd probably sleep more soundly without him being there… "Masahiko," She murmured in her sleep.

Kakuzu's hand unconsciously gripped the bed's sheets. He was not the person she wanted, and he'd be a fool to think otherwise.

An hour and a half later, a painful shock shot through Sayuri's body as her back banged against a wall. She groaned, trying to push herself back up. She could have been wrong, but Kakuzu was sparing much harder against her than yesterday. "Hurry up, get up." Kakuzu ordered as he stared down at her.

Even his stare made her feel weak. "I-I can't. You're being a lot tougher today."

"You should be able to handle it."

"No I can't handle this and you know it! I've never had training before." She looked up at him strangely. "Why are you so mad? I haven't done anything."

He moved in for another attack. "Ke, I'm like this every day."

"You weren't like this yesterday." She pointed out.

Kakuzu lowered his fist. She had a point. God, he hated it when he behaved un-rationally, like Hidan did all the time. He said nothing, after all he had nothing to say.

Sayuri shifted uncomfortably in her spot. "Can't you say something?"

"What exactly should I say?"

"I don't know. Anything." She mumbled; she wasn't very fond of the awkwardness she now felt in the room. Kakuzu sighed and held out a small piece of paper to take. She took it and examined it curiously. "What's this for?"

"It's chakra paper. Leader thinks that if we teach you a couple of jutsus, then you'll be able to control your chakra better."

"And the paper is for…"

"To know what your nature is. Just let your chakra flow through the paper."

"My chakra can flow outside of my body! I can do that!"

"Of course you can." He scoffed.

"Well, I apologize for my lack of knowledge. Apparently a certain **someone** has been lacking in their teaching skills…" This comment earned Sayuri a whack in the head, but she only laughed it off.

Startled that she was actually laughing, Kakuzu simply crossed his arms. "Just do it."

Holding onto the paper, she waited for something to happen. The paper slowly turned damp in her hands. "Amazing…I did do that right?" She asked before getting too excited.

Not to her surprise, he ignored her. "So you have a water nature. I kind of had a feeling…" He took the paper from Sayuri. "You'll probably train with Kisame from now on."

"Kisame? But…"

"Will you stop complaining about every little thing?" Kakuzu was quick to cut her off.

"I-I do not…" He gave her a look that caused her to trail off. "I didn't even start yet." She muttered. "Can't I just keep training with you?"

"You know I'm already getting annoyed, so why do you insist on continuing to talk?"

"I just think it's silly to change my teacher again!"

"Then why don't you go back to training with Sasori?"

"I was only training with Sasori because you told me to. I'll remind you that I didn't exactly choose to train to control my chakra. In case you've forgotten, you kidnapped me!"

"Stop shouting." Kakuzu said, surprised that he hasn't started shouting yet. Usually his temper would shoot out through the roof.

Sayuri only just realized that she was yelling and quickly looked away in embarrassment. She was behaving like a child. "Can you blame for shouting? Can you blame me for being upset?" She asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

No, he couldn't, but dear heaven was she giving him a headache. "I don't want to yell at you." He found himself saying. Before he left the room, he turned to her. "Go take a shower or something. I'm going out."

She was left alone, in the room they were training in, completely guilt-ridden.

When Sayuri finally walked back to Kakuzu's room, he found it empty. _"So he really did leave for a while…"_ She thought to herself and then proceeded to wonder when he would be coming back. She gave her head a good shake, trying to set her thoughts on something else, but found there wasn't really anything else to think about. She was cut off from the rest of the world, so all she was left with were anything that related to her current situation. Maybe a hot shower would help clear her mind.

She stepped into the bathtub and turned on the shower above her. She was immediately met with freezing cold water. Yelping, she jerked back to let the water warm up a bit. She knew she should be grateful, even for a cold shower; after all, Kakuzu was very stingy about allowing her to take a shower at all. Sayuri pinched herself. She thought about Kakuzu again. There were other people in the Akatsuki: Hidan, Kisame, Itachi, Deidara, Sasori…so why was it that Kakuzu was the only person she thought about? It was probably because he was the one that she spent most time with. Yes, that's it. Soon she started feeling guilty again. She shouldn't have yelled at Kakuzu for suggesting that Kisame should now be her teacher, since it did make logical sense. She'll have to apologize later…but what for? Kakuzu was an S ranked criminal. He probably didn't care…but he was human, or at least she thought so, so he it's not like he doesn't have any feelings…

Sayuri groaned and stuck her head under the hot water, hoping it would somehow clarify her thoughts. The hot water…the water…what was that jutsu Masahiko showed her those many years ago? She plugged the drain, at the bottom of the tub, to allow water to gather at her feet. Maybe if she could show Kakuzu she knew a jutsu already, then maybe she wouldn't have to switch teachers at all and maybe Kakuzu wouldn't be so upset with her. When the tub was half way full, she stopped the water. "Okay, you can do this," She encouraged herself. "Just focus…" She then realized that she needed to know the hand signs in order to perform the jutsu. She groaned as she racked her brains to remember. There was a simple version of one of her brother's jutsus with only three hand signs. "Alright…Mizu no Soujuu!" She opened her eyes and nothing happened. Sayuri blushed to herself foolishly. "Erm…maybe the last hand sign has the pinky finger on the outside?" She practiced the three hand signs a few times, before trying again.

"Okay…Mizu no Soujuu!" She opened her eyes and before her was a stream of water. The grin on her face couldn't have been any wider. She slowly moved her right hand and the water followed her movements. "I…I can't believe I actually did it!" She played around with the water for a few more moments, before she pointed her hands out forwards. The water then shot out like a bullet, piercing a hole in the bathroom door. "ACK!" Sayuri scrambled out of the bathtub to examine the damage she'd caused. "Kakuzu…Kakuzu is going to kill me!"

She quickly slipped her yukata back on. As she did, she was trying to calm herself down. Kakuzu wasn't at the base at the moment, so maybe she could find someone to help her. Hidan was out of the question, since he'd probably tell Kakuzu about it when he got back. Sasori…Sasori! Sasori could probably fix the wooden door in no time! He did make puppets, so a simple door should be no problem. She rushed out into the hall, only to realize that she didn't know where Sasori's room was. Groaning, she began running to the kitchen, hopefully someone there would point her in the right direction.

When she entered the kitchen, Deidara was there along with Kisame. "What are you running around for?" Kisame asked.

Deidara snickered. "Kakuzu chasing you down or something?"

"No." She paused to catch her breath. "I need to see Sasori-san!"

"He's probably in his room." Kisame said.

"I know, but I don't know where his room is. Can someone just take me there?"

"No," Deidara answered for both himself and Kisame. "Not until you tell us why you need to see him." He smiled devilishly.

"N-No reason. I just really need to see him is all."

"C'mon. Just tell us and I'll take you. If you don't, well, I'm assuming you're going to get in a lot of trouble, un."

Sayuri frowned. "Fine. I-I made a hole Kakuzu's bathroom door and if I don't get it fixed Kakuzu is going to kill me!" She said very quickly, while Kisame and Deidara erupted with laughter.

"You never fail to amuse me," Kisame chuckled. "How'd you make a hole in the door?"

"I was trying a new jutsu and it just went wrong. Horribly wrong…" Sayuri muttered.

"Don't look so down. This is hilarious, un!"

Sayuri glared at Deidara. "For you."

"I know." He smirked. "Alright, I'm gonna take you down to Sasori's. So let's go!" He pulled Sayuri behind him by the wrist.

As they approached Sasori's door, the two of them could hear a voice talking rather loudly.

"I don't see why I can't take over…" said a voice Sayuri couldn't recognize. Could this be another Akatsuki member?

"You know why you can't and you're lucky Leader isn't too upset that you're even here…" It was Sasori that now spoke.

Deidara groaned. "Please don't tell me he's here…"

"Who?" She asked.

Deidara only grunted and opened the door. He completely ignored the other person in the room. This person was taller than Sayuri and Deidara. His back was facing her, but she could tell that he had dark royal blue hair, spiking out in different directions. _"Maybe this person is Zetsu_?" She guessed, but this person didn't look anything like the Zetsu Sayuri imagined.

"Oi, Sasori-danna, Sayuri needs your help." Deidara told his partner.

Sasori silently cursed; of all the times she needed to see, she had to see him with…

"Sayuri?" The dark blue haired person turned around to face the young noble. He grinned and moved forward to take her into a hug. Sayuri stood there frozen. Who was this person? "I've missed you so much, my angel."

Her eyes grew wide. "Ma-Masahiko?"


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Woot! New chapter for all you lovely people out there. The next chapter is going to be a little difficult for me to write, because I'm not really sure how to put my ideas into words. Hopefully I'll figure it out soon. Thanks to all who have reviewed and added this story to their alert list. It means a lot! More REVIEWs would be lovely, so don't be afraid to leave me one. ;D I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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**C H A P T E R E L E V E N **

"Ma-Masahiko?" Sayuri's arms hung limply by her sides as her long lost older brother held her in his arms. This, this was a dream, wasn't it? Could this really be Masahiko? If it was, then what was he doing with the Akatsuki?

"What's wrong, Angel?" He pulled back a bit when he noticed that Sayuri didn't return his embrace. "Aren't you happy to see me?" He asked, caressing her cheek with his right hand.

She slowly removed his hand and slowly stepped back. "Who are you?"

He chuckled, sending chills down Sayuri's spine. "You're still so silly. It's me, Masahiko." She still stood frozen in her spot. Masashiko frowned. "Don't tell me you've forgotten me?" She said nothing; she couldn't even bring herself to look at him. "Sayuri…!"

Masahiko took a step forward, but Sasori stopped him by grabbing onto his shoulder. "Masahiko, calm yourself. I'm sure she's just surprised to see you, here of all places…Now, what was it you wanted from me Sayuri?"

"I…" Her voice was small at first before she spoke up. "I need you to fix Kakuzu's bathroom door."

"Fix Kakuzu's door?" He repeated. She nodded. "What did you do to it?"

Sayuri groaned to herself. That was the very question she was hoping he wouldn't ask. "I was…trying out a new jutsu…"

"In Kakuzu's bathroom?" Sasori asked, while Deidara snickered. She was starting to feel more and more foolish by the minute. The worst part was that her brother was still staring at her. "Well, it required water…"

"Kakuzu was able to teach you a water jutsu?" Masahiko spoke up. Sayuri flinched. "No…it's the jutsu you taught me when I was a child." She admitted, looking down at the ground.

"In any case," Sasori started, before Masahiko had another chance to speak. "You need to learn more control Sayuri. You can't keep going around breaking down doors. I already had to fix the door you broke down a couple of weeks ago."

This surprised Sayuri. "You fixed it?"

"Yes, I fixed it early last week or maybe the week before. Kakuzu wasn't very happy when he told me about it, mind you."

"When did you fix it?"

"Maybe a day or two after you broke it."

"What?"

Deidara looked at Sayuri's confusion on her face. "Did Kakuzu not tell you?"

"No…I've been staying in his room this entire time."

The blond laughed, while her brother didn't look as amused. "His room? What the hell are you doin' in his room for?" Masahiko demanded.

"It's not like I chose to be there." Sayuri mumbled, wondering why he was so angry.

"You're not **doing** anything with him, are you?" Masahiko asked. Everyone in the room went quiet. Sasori and Masahiko's eyes were on her, waiting for her answer. Sayuri couldn't think of a time when she was asked such an awkward question. "Doing what, un?" Deidara asked stupidly.

"Knitting blankets…what the hell do you think I mean when I ask if she was 'doing' anything with him!" Masahiko shouted at Deidara.

Deidara held his hands up in defense. "I was just wonderin'. No need to be such a dick."

Masahiko ignored Deidara and placed his hands on Sayuri's shoulders. "Don't worry about it anymore, alright? You'll be staying with me from now on and I'll train you, like I did before."

"Like you did before?"

"Yeah, when we were a couple of kids. Won't you like that, Angel?"

"Hold it Masahiko," Sasori ordered. "You still don't have permission from Leader to train her yet or to be anywhere near her. Sayuri, where's Kakuzu?"

"I…I don't know. He went somewhere after we trained."

Deidara let out a low whistle. "Wow, you're pretty damn lucky. You keep pissin' off Kakuzu and you still manage to surivive, un."

"In that case, Deidara take Sayuri someplace else. Masahiko, you're coming with me to replace the door." Sasori decided.

Masahiko frowned. "If you think I'm going to do anything for that greedy old bastard…"

Sasori sighed. "You won't have to do anything. I'm just keeping you apart from Sayuri."

"Why would you do that!" Masahiko cried. "We've just been reunited!" He took her in his arms before Sasori could do anything. "We shouldn't be separated again, right my angel?"

Sayuri slowly began to shake her head. "No…" She whispered. "I-I don't want to be anywhere near you." She broke away from his hold and stood on the opposite side of the room. "Separated? Don't make me laugh Masahiko! You left. You ran away."

"Listen, Angel…"

"Don't call me that!" She shouted. "Why did you leave! Father was furious! Mother was in tears! And I…you left me all alone! And now, years later, you have the nerve to act as though you're the same person, the same brother, you were before you left!"

"Sayuri, you don't understand…"

"You're right! I don't!" Streams of tears were running down her cheeks. She wasn't sad. She was more angry than anything and hurt. "How could you associate yourself with the Akatsuki! What have you done over the last nine years!" He opened his mouth to say something, but she swiftly cut him off. "No, don't say anything. I'm not even sure if I want to know the horrible things you've done."

"Will just let me explain?" Her brother pleaded.

"Explain? What explanation could you possibly have that would make up for what you did? I spent the last nine years without my older brother, someone I admired and loved with all my heart. Nothing you say will make up for the amount of time we could have spent together!"

"I understand that, but…"

Sayuri shook her head and turned to run out of the room, but someone stopped her. She looked up to see Kakuzu. Why is it her day had to go from bad to worse? Nobody wanted to talk, in fear of what Kakuzu would do next. He looked down at the tear-streaked girl that stood before him. Without taking notice to anyone else in the room, he allowed his hand slowly rise up to wipe away a thin line of tears from her cheek. Sayuri couldn't take it anymore and stared down at her feet. "What's going on?" Kakuzu finally asked in a deep voice.

"Nothing that concerns you, Old Man." Masahiko stepped forward. "It's between me and Sayuri."

"It is my concern. You obviously pose as a distraction for Sayuri. She's been placed under my jurisdiction, you know? You should just go back to Wind Country."

"And you should go dig yourself a grave. Isn't it about time you die already? How old are you? A hundred and seven?"

Kakuzu's fist flew out and cracked the wall behind Masahiko. "Oi…this is my room you know." Sasori muttered, standing up in case things got out of hand. Kakuzu glared at Masahiko. "Do not talk to me like that. You're not even a member of this organization."

"I might as well be. I do a lot of the footwork, gathering god forsaken information for your god damn missions." Masahiko glared right back.

Sasori swiftly stepped in between the two. "Kakuzu, get out of my room, before you place another crack in the wall, and take Sayuri with you. Masahiko and I are going to fix your bathroom door tomorrow."

"My bathroom door?" He glanced down at Sayuri, who was still staring down at her feet as though her life depended on it. "Never mind, let's go." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her away.

Sayuri was struggling to keep up with Kakuzu's long strides. If his arm wasn't around her, then she would have easily fallen behind. She tried her best to wipe the tears from her eyes. Kakuzu was probably still angry with her and he didn't even seem to know about the bathroom door, until Sasori mentioned it to him. When she heard the click of the door knob turning to Kakuzu's room, she slightly began to panic. Would he do something to her?

Upon entering the room, he gently pushed Sayuri towards the bed. She sat down, her eyes now focused in her lap. Any moment now Kakuzu was going to see the bathroom door. When she heard him sigh, she waited for his reaction. He walked slowly to stand in front of her. "You know Hidan has been suggesting that I get you a collar and chain you up, before I go somewhere. I think I'm starting to consider his suggestion."

"Eh?" She stared up at him disbelievingly.

"I was joking." He said, but she couldn't tell if he was smiling or not. He sat down beside her. She scooted a little away. "So, I take it you and your brother didn't have such a…loving reunion?"

"What do you think? It's not that I'm not happy to see him. It's just…I don't know." She buried her face in her hands.

Kakuzu was a bit unsure of what to say. "Your brother…he's not the person you believe he was, is he?"

"No…it's just…I didn't expect to see him alive and to see him alive here of all places. I feel as though…he ripped my heart out or something. I don't know," She began to sob lightly again. "But he's my brother, maybe I should have listened to him instead of being so angry." She made way to leave, but Kakuzu's hand caught her wrist. "Kakuzu, let go."

"There's something you should know."

Sayuri wasn't sure if she wanted to hear what Kakuzu had to say, but asked anyway. "What is it?"

"Your brother, he was the one who told Leader about you."

"What do you mean?"

"As a pain as Masahiko is, he has oddly high chakra levels. They aren't as high as Kisame's, but they're pretty high up there. You see, when he first came to the organization, he made a deal with Sasori and then later with our Leader. Only thing is, maybe about two months ago, Sasori voiced Masahiko's growing restlessness being the Akatsuki dog, for lack of better word." Kakuzu paused. Should he really tell her what he's been pondering over the last couple of weeks?

"And so…?" She urged him on.

"So, and please note that I'm only assuming this, Masahiko told us about you so that maybe, you could take his place. He claimed that you too had high chakra levels."

"W-what?" She stared into his eyes, as though trying to find some sense in his statements. "I don't think he would…"

"How do you know what he'd do anymore? You haven't seen him in nine years." He reminded her.

"Will you please stop talking? You're just making everything worse."

Kakuzu felt a pinch in his gut. Did he actually feel sorry for her? Maybe he shouldn't have said anything at all, but at least she knew the truth, or at least his perception of the truth. His hand made his way to the base of her neck and steadily pushed her back into the bed. "Wha-?"

"You should sleep it off." He suggested. "You'll feel better later." Sayuri laid sprawled out on his bed, her lips slightly parted.

"Kakuzu, Sasori told me that he fixed the door of my room weeks ago." Kakuzu's breath hitched in his throat. "Why didn't you tell me that Sasori fixed the room's door?"

"I didn't want to risk you breaking it down again," came his smooth answer.

This man was unbelievable.

"Besides, I thought it'd be best…if you just stayed with me," he murmured, but Sayuri caught his words; they caused her cheeks to slightly blush. He stood up to leave, but she called out to him. "Um, could you please stay with me? At least, until I fall asleep? I don't…I don't want to be alone…" She shut her eyes, in fear he'd brush off her silly request and leave the room anyways. Much to her surprise a weight sank into one side of the bed. Opening her eyes, she saw that Kakuzu had lied down beside her.

"Until you fall asleep then." He whispered.

She nodded. "Um, I'm sorry for making you angry earlier."

"You didn't make me angry."

"I didn't?" She asked in disbelief.

"Well, not entirely…just forget about it."

"Alright." She shifted her position so that she was facing Kakuzu entirely. It was strange to see him in bed with his mask on. She wanted to see his face again, but didn't dare ask him to take his mask off. "Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" He wondered, a bit annoyed that she was still talking.

"For being kind…I guess you really do have a heart." She simply smiled when Kakuzu said nothing and allowed her eyes to finally close.

Kakuzu couldn't help but smirk beneath his mask. He had a heart? Little did she know, he actually had five.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/: Sorry for the kinda long wait. I've been kind of busy...if you consider "busy" as catching up in Bleach chapters (starting with chapter 122) and playing Final Fantasy VII. XD Anyways, this chapter...I don't really know how to describe it...it's a bit crazy, for lack of better word. I hope you like it and please REVIEW!**

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**C H A P T E R T W E L V E**

The noble sat at the kitchen table, with the silent Uchiha Itachi as his only companion. Masahiko sipped his steaming cup of jasmine tea. He was in deep thought and was thankful that the Uchiha didn't bother to speak much. If it had been Deidara at the table, an argument would conjure in less than a second, resulting in an uncivilized brawl, but his thoughts weren't on the insufferable blond. No, he was thinking of his dear sister Sayuri. Oh how she has changed over the years, so bitter and angry. Although he couldn't entirely blame her, it was all Father's fault, keeping his darling sister locked up inside for the past nine years. Then again, since she arrived at the Akatsuki's hideout, she had been spending most of her time with Old Man Kakuzu. Kakuzu's temper probably rubbed off on Sayuri; after all, the Sayuri he remembered would have been thrilled to see him.

"Masahiko." Someone growled. Masahiko almost mistook it for Itachi, but came to realize it was not Itachi who spoke, but Kakuzu.

"To be honest I really don't feel like having a row with you this morning, Old Man." Masahiko sighed, resting his cheek against his hand.

"What's your deal here?"

"My deal? My business is no concern of yours. It only concerns me, Leader, and Sasori."

", and your sister." Kakuzu added.

Masahiko smirked. "I believe my sister's involvement with my situation is also none of your business."

"Like hell it isn't."

"Don't start spewing nonsense about how she's…'under your jurisdiction'. You're simply her overseer." Masahiko narrowed his eyes at the older man. "If I wasn't mistaken, I'd say you developed feelings for her."Itachi felt the rising tension and decided it'd be best to leave silently.

Kakuzu ignored Masahiko's jab. "You would throw away your sister's freedom for your own personal gain?"

"My sister was already a prisoner. Her warden was our own father and what I wish to achieve isn't only for my sake!" He stood to his feet. "I love Sayuri more than anything in the world. She's my one and only!"

"Do you even hear what you're saying? You're not making any sense. If you even loved your sister in the slightest, then you wouldn't have suggested to Leader that it'd be a good idea to kidnap her." Kakuzu said cooly, for once he wasn't the first person to blow a gasket. "Do you think for a moment that Sayuri wants anything to do with you after what you've done?"

"And what makes you think she wants anything to do with you?" Masahiko countered and began to laugh. "Could you take care of her? Provide for her? Do you love her as much as I do?"

Kakuzu's fist shot out to nail Masahiko in the face, only to be pushed aside by Masahiko's block. "Shut up." Kakuzu was growling again.

"What this? Are you afraid to admit it? Afraid that she won't return such feelings? Face it, Kakuzu, she would never choose you. You realize this yourself, don't you? You were the one who kidnapped her, the one who has probably threatened her a countless number of times. When she gets the chance she'll leave…" Masahiko leered at him. "She'll leave just like Namori did."

That was it. Kakuzu charged full on at Masahiko, who dodged the expected punch with ease. "What a violent temper you have Kakuzu. If my sister were to stay with you, you'd probably end up hurting her. Maybe even killing her." Masahiko threw out a kick, while Kakuzu caught his foot and flipped the noble man over. Masahiko landed on his feet and took a defensive stance.

"I…am not going to hurt her."

"I doubt it. Tell Leader that you'd think it'd be a better idea if I trained Sayuri from now on. This way she won't run the risk of being harmed. That's an easy solution, yes?" Masahiko suggested.

"Kakuzu? Masahiko?" Both men snapped their heads towards the doorway to the kitchen. There stood Sayuri, who looked unsure on whether or not to walk into the kitchen.

Masahiko relaxed. "Sayuri, you're up. Did you sleep well?" His voice was probably a hundred times kinder than it was previously. Sayuri glanced at Kakuzu momentarily, before nodding. Her brother didn't miss the action. "Leave Kakuzu, I have some things I need to say to my little sister."

"Don't order your superiors!" Kakuzu glared and strode over to Sayuri to grab her hand. "We're leaving Sayuri." His anger with Masahiko had reached its high point. Any moment longer with the damn noble and Kakuzu may not be able to hold back any longer. The fact that Sayuri wasn't moving didn't help either. "Sayuri…"

She shook her head. "I need to hear what my brother has to say."

Kakuzu took a deep breath and spoke slowly. "You're under my supervision and you must listen to what I say."

Again, she shook her head. "I'm not going to hide and I'm not going to run."

Masahiko grinned and placed his hands on Sayuri's shoulders. "You heard her Kakuzu. Just leave."

Kakuzu scowled at Masahiko; then looked down at Sayuri. She felt as though his eyes pierced her heart before he turned and walked away. "You didn't have to say that Masahiko." The older brother merely shrugged it off. "What is it that you wanted?"

"You'll probably want to sit down, Angel." Sayuri ignored the pet name and sat down beside him. Masahiko lost his voice; he wasn't sure of how to say what he wanted to say. He was afraid of Sayuri's reaction. Would she be able to see that his ambitions were not only for his benefit, but for hers as well? Would she understand that everything he's been doing, and will do, is because he loved her more than anything?

"Masahiko," She started. "I'm sorry for being so upset with you yesterday, but you must understand how I feel, don't you?"

"Of course I do and I wish only to explain myself to you. Please, just listen," he begged her and she nodded. Masahiko released a sigh of relief. "I think…I think it'd be best to start from the beginning. Everything I'm about to tell you, is the truth." He took a breath in and out. "Alright, you know our family? The Hasegawa family? You see, we…were originally descended from the Shintaro Clan…a small shinobi clan from the Hidden Valley Village of River Country. The Shintaro clan is known for their water manipulation technique, Mizu no Soujuu. It's a slightly complex technique, where the user streams their chakra and allows surrounding water to take a thread-like form. It's a technique only few members of the Shintaro clan can pull off, specifically those who are descended from Shintaro Sosen, the first clan leader.

It has been tradition that the head of the Shintaro clan would also become the head of the Hidden Valley Village. Around thirty or twenty years back, the leader of the Hidden Valley Village had two sons; the elder son didn't possess enough chakra to learn the water manipulation technique, while the younger son was considered to be a prodigy. Seeing this, the leader of the Hidden Valley Village secretly assassinated the Daimyou of River Country and replaced the deceased Daimyou with the elder son. This way the elder son could have a spot in power, while the younger son ended up inheriting the spot as the new, and current leader, of the Hidden Valley Village."

Sayuri didn't like where this was going. "Masahiko…"

"The elder son was our father, Hasegawa Katsuro. His last name was changed just in case someone made the connection that it was the Shintaro clan that killed the previous Daimyou. When Village Elders made the suggestion that the new Daimyou be our father, no one complained, since he was from the proclaimed Shintaro Clan. I first found out about this on accident. Our uncle, the Hidden Valley Village Leader, and our father were having a meeting, and me, being about eleven years old at the time, decided to listen in on their meeting. When they parted, the Village Leader referred to our father as his brother and so I confronted Father about it. He told me everything; I suppose he thought I had the right to now and considered me old enough to know the truth, about the Shintaro Clan, about the assassination. If he thought I would be grateful, he was dead wrong. I thought it would be more glorious to be the Hidden Village Leader than some Daimyou that lazes around all day. So I demanded that he tell me if I had sufficient chakra or not to become a ninja. He refused to talk at first, but when I threatened to tell Mother about the assassination, he gave in….Please don't look at me like that Angel."

Upon his sister's face was a look of disapproval. "Look Sayuri, what's done is done. I can't change what I've done. Please…"

"Just continue," was all she said. He grimaced; he knew she wasn't happy with him, but continued.

"When you and I were born, Father had our chakra levels checked by some doctors and nurses from the Hidden Valley Village. They reported to him of our high chakra levels and said that he should be proud; that we may become fine shinobi one day. However, father wouldn't have it, so he decided to seal off our chakra, making it harder to use. Even though he sealed off my chakra, I could still feel it locked inside of me, as though it was dying to be harnessed. Upon learning that I had what it takes to become a shinobi, I swore on that day that was what I'd become and eventually become the Hidden Village Leader along with the Daimyou of River Country."

"But you can't do that. Surely the current Village Leader, our uncle, has an heir. The Village Elders would probably choose his son or daughter to become the next leader."

Masahiko laughed. "Although our… 'dear' uncle is married, he has failed to produce an offspring. He's even tried with other woman. He's sterile; of course, I didn't know that when I was eleven. No, I just simply spent everyday training on my own and as the years went by I realized that the chakra seal weakened over time. So I decided that it would be best to train you as well."

"But why? Why include me?"

"Because I love you." Masahiko answered as though it was obvious. "I soon came to realize that I could only teach myself so much from various scrolls and books. So, I decided to leave. I couldn't go the Hidden Valley Village. Our Uncle would have sent me back. That's why I searched out Sasori, the puppet master from the Hidden Sand. You see, the puppet technique is similar to the water manipulation technique in that the users must create 'strings' of chakra. If anyone could train me to surpass a Village Leader, then it would be a missing shinobi, who is considered an S-ranked criminal. Thankfully Sasori agreed only if I served him for an X amount of years. I've also made a deal with the Leader of the Akatsuki. When I become Village Leader and the Daimyou of River Country, I'll form a secret alliance with the Akatsuki. It will give the Akatsuki a bit of a safe haven."

"But you won't become the Village Leader or the Daimyou until either of them step down or…"

"Or die. The Leader has already agreed to aid me in the deaths of the Hidden Valley Village Leader and the Daimyou of River Country."

"You can't do that!" Sayuri slammed her hands on the table. "How can you even think of doing something so horrible to your own family members?"

"I've never even met our uncle…"

"What about Father!"

"What about him?" He sneered. "That man is weak and he's worth nothing more than the dirt on the ground."

"He took care of you, raised you!"

"He lied to me for eleven years and if I recall it was our servants that raised us, more so than Mother and Father."

"But Masahiko…!"

"How can you defend him! He gave you away!" Sayuri snapped her mouth shut. "Sasori told me how your capture was carried out with incredible ease. Our father gave you away to a dangerous criminal organization for his own sake. If that doesn't make him a coward, then I don't know what does!"

Sayuri felt like crying and shouting at her brother, but she couldn't find her voice. "Why?" She whispered. "Just…I don't unders…I…" She sank back her chair.

"How could you have feelings for that man, a man who oppressed you, a man who locked you away? Even Mother is slightly wary of him, you can't deny that."

"Why did you involve me? It would have been better if…"

"If what? If you were locked away, like a helpless princess in a tower? If you went on living what you called a life? Do you honestly want to return to that?"

She was silent for a long while before answering. "No, but…"

"But nothing…" He leaned in and tilted her chin up so he could see her face. "The most important reason for doing this, for doing all this, is for you. Father…before I left, I was supposed to meet with my future wife, but I was already in love with you." Sayuri jerked back in surprise, but Masahiko was quick and grabbed her wrists to keep her in place. "Please don't turn away from me." Sayuri felt frozen in place, frozen in time. The shock was almost too great to bear and when she felt his lips press firmly against hers, she felt as though she would crumble to pieces.

"Masahiko…I-I can't." She said turning away.

His thumb grazed her cheek. "I understand, but please know this is for you and your freedom." He stood up from his seat and kissed her atop her head. "Please excuse me." Masahiko left the kitchen and Sayuri sat there alone.

Many different feelings were swirling within Masahiko as he left the kitchen. His head ached and for the slightest of moments he questioned if what he was doing was for the best. He couldn't deny that everything he did was not only for Sayuri's sake and her sake alone. Part of his motivation was to prove his own worth, to show everyone he was not a simple ignorant noble like Kakuzu kindly reminds him every other time they meet. His plans to take over the entirety of the River Country, both the civilian and shinobi aspects, was so he could display his power and to take revenge against his father, who was jealous of the chakra Sayuri and he, himself, had. Not only that, but the current Leader of the Hidden Valley Village had no business being the Village Leader, he was after all the second child. However, when it came down to it, Sayuri was the center of it all; whenever he trained or fought, she was his motivation. Everything, all of these past events and events to come in the future, were all for Sayuri's sake. She may never return his love, but she would definitely make a better leader than he. She was poised, graceful, caring, and under the proper training she would also become a powerful kunochi.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Kay, got another chapter out to ya all and sorry if it sucks. It's kinda a bridge sort of chapter that only slightly moves the plot along. There'll only be TWO more chapters after this one before this story is finally complete. Please REVIEW and I promise the next chapter will be more interesting!**

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**C H A P T E R T H I R T E E N**

Sayuri made her way to the kitchen alone. After her conversation with Masahiko yesterday, Kakuzu had blatantly ignored her for the rest of the day. He didn't speak one word to her, even when they went to sleep. Kakuzu didn't tell her to get out of the bed, when he came into the room last night. He just slept beside her like usual. Sayuri shivered at the memory. That was one uncomfortable night she wouldn't forget and never wanted to repeat. It didn't help that Kakuzu was gone before she even woke up that morning. She asked everyone she could, which only turned out to be Hidan and Sasori, but no one knew where he went. Sayuri groaned to herself. Hopefully when Kakuzu came back from wherever he was, he would be back to normal.

She sighed. She couldn't worry too much about Kakuzu right now though. Her brother Masahiko was being the bigger problem. "What am I supposed to do about him?" She cried to herself and nearly jumped a mile into the air when someone startled her.

"There she is!" A man sort of skipped over to her and draped an arm around her shoulders. He was taller than she was, wore an orange mask with only one hole and was about as energetic as a child on a sugar high.

"W-who are you?"

"My name is Tobi! Tobi is so excited to finally see you. Zetsu told me about you." The grown man said excitedly.

"Is that so?" Sayuri felt a bit weirded out that this Zetsu person talked about her even though she had never met him.

"Yep, but I don't see what's the big deal with you. There's absolutely nothing great or interesting about you." Tobi commented, causing the noble to deadpan. "I wonder why Leader wanted you in the first place."

"Well, I guess I wonder why he wants me as well…ha ha." Sayuri laughed weakly. This guy was strange.

"Hmmm…I guess you're not too much of a waste. Now I can have a partner!"

"A…partner?" Sayuri slowly backed away from the approaching man. "You don't seem to understand that I'm not a member of this organization."

"I know that, but neither am I! I'm more like Zetsu's subordinate. You know you're kind of like Kakuzu's subordinate right? So us subordinates can be partners together, then maybe we can be partners when we actually get to join the Akatsuki!"

Sayuri was beginning to feel both overwhelmed and irritated. "I don't have any intention of joining the Akatsuki."

"It's not like you have a choice. You're here and there's no way you'd be able to escape on your own." Tobi pointed out and to Sayuri's dismay he was right. Even if she could fight her way out of the Akatsuki base, she didn't even know where the exit was. "Okay!" Tobi cheered. "Since we're now partners, we're going on a mission."

"A m-mission? You mean outside?"

"Of course!"

"I can't go outside without Kakuzu." Sayuri said.

"Why not? You can't take care of yourself without Kakuzu's help?" He asked.

Sayuri just stared at him with disbelief; although he acted all childishly and happy-go-lucky, he was rather blunt. Sayuri knew that Tobi knew that his words would provoke her, but he said them anyway. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself." Sayuri said between gritted teeth. "It's just Kakuzu would kill me if I did something without knowing."

"So you need his permission?"

"Yes. I need his permission." This was demeaning for the proud noble, openly admitting her inferiority to Kakuzu.

"But you don't need it. As a subordinate, you can take breaks and stuff when your superior doesn't need you. Masahiko and I hang out all the time."

Sayuri sighed. "I told you many times before that I'm not a subordinate."

"Wait, do you…do you not want to hang out with me?" Tobi's voice was starting to sound whiny and Sayuri knew that she was in for some trouble.

"It's not that. It's just…"

"There's this movie coming out today at the small town nearby. We should go together. Then afterwards there's this little concert they're having. It'll be so much fun!" Tobi pleaded.

"No it won't, un." Both Tobi and Sayuri jumped. They turned to see Deidara standing there. "Tobi, Sayuri isn't allowed outside of the base. So don't go saying stupid shit like that, un."

"Well if Sayuri can't come with me, then you can come with me Deidara-senpai!" Tobi suggested, making the blond blanch.

"Why don't you go with Masahiko or somethin'? You usually drag that guy around with you."

"But Masahiko says he has a big mission tomorrow, so he's going to prepare and stuff…" Tobi pouted.

"Well I have to go on the same mission. I don't have time to hang around with you, un!" Deidara shouted.

"What! Masahiko gets to go on a mission with you? Lucky…"

"As if, I hate that guy. All we're doin' is attacking Tanigakure…"

"Wait!" Sayuri shouted. "Is he going to assassinate the Head of the Village tomorrow then?" She couldn't believe it. Masahiko had only told him about his plans yesterday and now he was going to carry them out tomorrow? She had to somehow convince him otherwise.

Deidara gave her a questioning look. "How on Earth did you know that? But, yeah, you're right. We also gotta take out the Daimyou of River Country as well. I have no idea why though…"

"I…I have to stop Masahiko!" Sayuri cried and attempted to run to find her brother. However, Deidara stopped her easily.

"Hold up, I can't have you doing anything that will keep the mission from running smoothly. I don't like Masahiko at all, but this mission came from the Leader, so I got no choice but to go through with it."

"But Masahiko came up with this in the first place." Sayuri began to struggle against Deidara's grip. "I can't allow him to do this! He can't do this!"

SLAP! The sound echoed across the room and a red print formed on Sayuri's cheek. "Shut up and Tobi, I think it'd be best if you take Sayuri to that concert or whatever, un."

"Got it, Deidara-senpai!" Tobi saluted and began to lead Sayuri away. "Don't worry Sayu-chan! We'll have fun. So just forget about the mission okay?"

Sayuri was in a state of shock. The tears stung her eyes and threatened to fall. How could she just forget about it? This was wrong. She had to do everything she could to keep her brother from killing the two leaders. It wasn't that she cared so much about the Leader of the Hidden Valley Village or even her own father, but murder wasn't a sin she thought her brother would ever commit.

* * *

Tobi and Sayuri stood together in the small town square with other people, facing a makeshift stage. Sayuri was wearing one of the Akatsuki's big straw hats to keep her hidden and Tobi was holding her hand to keep her from running away. Sayuri swore her hand was going to lose its blood circulation. "Cheer up Sayu-chan! This person's pretty good; they play guitar and everything."

"Tobi, I appreciate you trying, but I don't really want to watch this right now."

"But Sayu-chan's been locked up at base for a long time! You need fresh air and stuff like that!"

Sayuri opened her mouth, but her words were drowned out by the cheers of the crowd. On the stage walked on a young man with black hair, which styled in a spikey hairstyle. "Hello gentleman...and ladies!" The man winked, causing the female portion of the audience to squeal. Sayuri had the strange feeling that she had met this man before somewhere. She just couldn't think of the time and place she did. It would have to be at one of the Coming of Age Ceremonies, but she'd been to so many… "I, Gima Kosuke, shall thrill you all with the melodic sounds of my voice. So please…try your best to contain yourselves." Gima Kosuke winked again and the woman continued to squeal. Sayuri couldn't believe that people like this actually existed; hopefully this is all just a stage act.

"What are you doing watching trash like this?"

Sayuri's breath hitched in her throat. "Kakuzu…"

"Oh! Kakuzu came to join us to watch the concert too! I didn't know you liked music too Kakuzu!" Tobi said cheerfully, as though he was completely unaware of the frightening aura Kakuzu was giving off.

"Tobi…She isn't supposed to be outside. What the hell are you thinking?"

"Don't worry! I have her secured!" He held up their hands. "Look! It's like we're on a date!"

"W-wait, what?" Sayuri sputtered.

"Does it look like I care? Who said you could take her outside?" Kakuzu growled.

"Deidara-senpai did! She was gonna get in the way of Masahiko-kun's mission! So Deidara-senpai told Tobi to take her away for a while!"

"Deidara…?" Kakuzu sighed. "Well, I'm taking you back then. Let's go…" Kakuzu grabbed Sayuri by the wrist and attempted to take her away.

"Wait a minute! The concert hasn't even started yet!" Tobi whined, tugging on the one hand he was holding.

"Tobi, let go."

"No! You let go!"

"It hurts," Sayuri managed to say as the two men tugged on her. "Tobi will you let go?" Sayuri pleaded.

"Wait, so you'd rather be with Kakuzu than with me!"

"What? No, it's just…please let go Tobi. You're going to rip my arm off."

"Fine…" Tobi released her and blood rush back into her left hand. Even though she couldn't see his face, Sayuri felt like was pouting.

As though reading her mind, Kakuzu told her. "Don't bother; he'll get over it within the next hour." He began leading her away from the concert and back towards base.

"Hey, Kakuzu, where were you this morning?" Sayuri finally got the chance to ask.

"Leader sent me to take out some people from Tanigakure. Luckily it wasn't a complete waste of time. Two of the guys had a decent amount of money on their heads."

"W-was it for the mission tomorrow?"

"Nothing you say will change the fact that the mission will be carried out tomorrow by your brother and Deidara. So don't bother saying anything about it."

"But I just can't ignore it."

Kakuzu stopped walking and turned to face the noble. She cowered beneath his gaze. "Leader won't hesitate to kill you if you interfere so I suggest you don't. You're lucky that I noticed your chakra signature along with Tobi's, because if another member found you then this incident would probably have been reported to the Leader."

"Oh," Sayuri realized. "You'd get in trouble if someone else found me outside of the base, wouldn't you?"

Kakuzu's eye twitched. "I didn't expect you to go anywhere and I didn't expect you to run into to Tobi." Sayuri couldn't help, but laugh and quickly tried to stifle it when Kakuzu glared at her. However, the harder she tried not to laugh, the more she wanted to. Kakuzu opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself by sighing. "Let's just go."

Sayuri nodded. "But can you please let go of my wrist? You're going to cut off my circulation."

"Tch, and let you escape?"

"I'm not going anywhere Kakuzu." She then muttered. "It's not like I'd be able to escape anyway."

Kakuzu refused to lighten his grip, but opted to dragging her by the hand instead.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Almost done! Just one more chapter before this story is complete! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, added this to their alert list and favorited. Thanks also to everyone who has stuck with it til the end. Please remember to REVIEW, even after the story is completed. **

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**C H A P T E R F O U R T E E N **

_From their throat erupted,_

_Feelings deep within._

_From their eyes streamed,_

_Pleas to ._

_From their heart cried,_

_Wishes to keep them here._

_Don't go._

_Don't go._

_Please, don't…_

When Sayuri woke the next day, she felt like she was floating on a cloud or maybe she felt like she was surrounded by clouds? She rolled over in the bed, successfully burying her face in her pillow. Where was that light buzzing noise coming from? Moaning into the pillow, she tried inching her way towards more warmth, but alas the warmth was not there. Sayuri sprung up from her pillow, her blue head looking left and right. Where was Kakuzu now? The spot beside her was empty and it didn't sound like the shower was on. Did she sleep in late? No, Kakuzu would have dragged her out of bed if that were the case. Then…did something happen with the rest of the organization? Kicking her legs over the side of the bed, her feet touched the cold floor. Slowly she walked up to the room's door and put her ear up against it. She heard nothing, but then again knowing that fact told her nothing. It was usually quiet in the halls of the Akatsuki base. Her hand reached for the door knob. She knew it probably wasn't best to leave Kakuzu's room without his permission, not after what happened the day before last, but Sayuri was curious to know what was going on. Where was he? So, she turned the door knob and stepped out into the hall.

As she thought, the hall was completely empty and with that she went to the kitchen. Maybe someone was there making themselves some breakfast, but she couldn't smell anything cooking so… "Fucking hell, shut the fuck up Tobi, un!"

Sayuri recognized the voice in the kitchen. It was Deidara and if Deidara was back at base that meant that he completed his mission already. Without a second thought, she rushed to the kitchen and practically threw herself into the room. "Is Masahiko back yet! Did he do it! Did he complete his mission!" She asked the upset blond man, who sat at the table along with Tobi.

"That's it!" Deidara slammed his hand against the table. "If someone mentions that god-forsaken noble's name to me one more time, then I'll…"

"What happened?" Sayuri demanded, disregarding Deidara's request.

"That bastard thinks he can order me around is what happened! I don't care if he's older than me, but I'm an actual **member** of the Akatsuki, un!"

Sayuri couldn't believe that this was why Deidara was so upset. "Where's Masahiko then? Is he safe or did he…?"

"Deidara-senpai says that Masahiko killed the Daimyou first and then took out the Head of Tanigakure after, Sayuri-chan!" Tobi chimed in.

"Freakin' bastard," Deidara muttered. "It's because of me he was able to sneak in and kill the two of them in the first place. My explosions distracted most of the Tanigakure shinobi so that he could go in for the kill, and you know what? The damn Leader puts Masahiko in charge of not only Tanigakure, but River Country as well. He wasn't the only one to work his butt off out there! I want some kind of reward too, damn it! My art isn't nearly as appreciated as it should be!"

"H-He did it then? He killed…"Sayuri wasn't sure if she could breath and sunk into one of the kitchen chairs.

Tobi noticed Sayuri's mood. "Oh yeah," Tobi started, tapping his finger on his chin. "Your brother killed your father then right? Since you're the daughter of the Daimyou and all…"

Sayuri buried her face in her hands. Tobi just had to rub it in. "Where is he?" She whispered.

"Hmm? What did ya say?" Tobi asked her to repeat herself.

"I said…where…is….Masahiko?"

"Oh…Deidara-senpai, didn't you say he's still in Tanigakure smoothing things out?"

"Tch," Deidara scoffed. "Yeah, he and some of Sasori's subordinates are making him the leader now as we speak, since he's the 'Last Direct Descendent of the Shintaro Sosen'. Tanigakure has got to be full of the biggest batch of dumbasses if they let him be the leader based on that fact alone." Sayuri shut her eyes and stood to her feet. "Oi, where are you going? Sit back down, un."

"I need to go to Masahiko."

"What for? Just let him do whatever he wants. I, personally, don't want to see his face around here any time soon." Deidara grumbled.

Sayuri shook her head. "I need to go." She ran out of the kitchen, before she could hear Tobi say, "Sayuri is going to be in so much trouble."

She ran down the halls towards the exit. She thanked God about a million times in her head that Tobi had taken her out yesterday, otherwise she wouldn't know where the exit was. Her yutaka was beginning to loosen, and even ripped in a few places, to adjust to her running form, but she didn't care. She didn't have time to care. She had to go to Masahiko. She had to. She had to. When she opened the exit, she was greeted by the sound heavy rain and thunder. This only disheartened her a bit; however, she already made up her mind. She was going to see Masahiko. She had to make him take responsibility for what he had done. Did he even realize what he had done?

The rain pelted her from above, soaking her to the bone instantly. She ran on. She ran strong. First she'd go to the nearest town, and get directions to Tanigakure from there. She had to hurry. She needed to talk to her brother. She had to. She had to. Her eyes were all squinty and the rain made it hard to see what was in front of her. The usually dry ground beneath her was now goopy mud that squished beneath her feet as she ran. She slipped and fell flat on her face. Her heavy breathing was drowned out by the sound of the rain. Slowly she stood to her feet again. She set off again, but didn't make it more than a few steps only to find she couldn't move at all. Around her wrist a hand held her back. She recognized whose hand it was. "Kakuzu! Let me go!"

"You're not going anywhere." The masked man managed to speak over the rain. "You are foolish for running and you'll be punished when we return."

"No! I have to see Masahiko. I need to…"

"You don't need to do anything." He pulled her closer to him. Her heels dug into the mud as he did so.

She struggled against him. "I should have been able to stop him or talk him out of it, before he did any of this."

"There's nothing you can do about it now, so shut up and come with me."

"I can't I have to…"

"You're pushing my patience!"

She only continued to shake her head. "No, I…" She couldn't complete her sentence, not with the blood curling shriek that came from her throat. Tears swelled up in her dark eyes and soon mixed with the cold rain water that fell upon her cheeks. Kakuzu had broken her wrist in his grip. As she cried, Kakuzu stood with a stern look on his face. He didn't release her wrist after he broke it, instead he griped it even tighter, causing Sayuri to fall to her knees. The fingers of her left hand were trying to pry his fingers off her right wrist. "Pl-please….I…." She struggled to speak and now she was starting to see stars.

Kakuzu held it for a few more moments before releasing it. Another cry came from Sayuri's mouth as she cradled the injured wrist with her other hand. "You'll be in more pain if don't listen to me." He said darkly.

Still she shook her head. "You don't understand," She said weakly. "I need to stop him, before he does anything else. I…"

"Your brother knows what he's done. Nothing you do now will change anything. So just accept it."

"I won't accept it. I don't think I could ever accept it."

"Why must you be so stubborn!"He shouted.

"Because he's my brother and I'll always love him!" She shouted back and the rain continued to fall. Kakuzu was furious. She was not stupid enough to not notice his anger. She knew probably wouldn't be able to make it to Tanigakure with him here; there was no way she could defeat him, even if her wrist wasn't broken. "I can't turn my back on Masahiko."

Kakuzu's hand made a tight fist. "I will kill you if you continue to be difficult."

Sayuri scooted away from him a bit. "Y-you wouldn't do that. You can't do that. Leader would…"

"Leader has given me permission to do so."

Sayuri continued to shake her head. "You wouldn't do that Kakuzu."

"And what would you know what I can and cannot do! I've killed many before, and one more wouldn't change anything."

"If you wanted to kill me than you would have done so already! Haven't I been difficult for you up to this point!"

"Stop being frustrating and…"

"If I'm so frustrating than kill me then!" Sayuri yelled, her throat feeling sore. He simply stood before her, wreathing with anger. "See?" She whispered.

"I killed her."

"W-what?"

"I killed her." Kakuzu repeated only more loudly this time.

"Who?" She asked.

"Namori and I can kill you to."

His answer only made her want to draw back even more, but she couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to move. The rain continued to pour. She stared up at him and he stared down at her. Red and green, she remembered when she first saw Kakuzu and his eyes. They had sent chills down her spine, but now they almost seemed sullen even though he was very angry. Her shock left more slowly than it came and she found herself getting to her feet. "Sayuri…"

"We're going back." She mumbled.

"What?"

"I said…!" She shouted, but lowered the volume of her voice. "We're going back…to base."

Kakuzu silently thanked heaven that she was finally cooperating. He let her walk in front of him. This way he could keep an eye on her. As she passed in front of him, he noticed that rain did not hide the tears falling down her face.

* * *

_Masahiko,_

_Congratulations with the success of your mission involving the Head of Tanigakure and the Daimyou of River Country. Unfortunately, you can't tell that my tone is that of malice simply by reading this note._

_Your sister has fallen ill. She had heard of your victory and felt the need to see you immediately. So out she ran into the pouring rain determined to see you. Luckily, I was able to stop her before she got too far. She has a fever of 39.4 degrees Celsius (About 103 degrees Fahrenheit). Her weak immune system doesn't help the situation at all. She has severe coughing, unexplainable aches, and seems to be suffering from mild fatigue. _

_I write this note, because Sayuri requested I do. She wishes to tell you to cease your ambitions at once and that no good can come from it._

_Kakuzu_

Masahiko placed the note on the desk before him. Sayuri, why must she do things like this? Why must this happen to her? He'd finally achieved what he'd worked so hard for and she was messing things up, but how he loved her. Masahiko groaned and put his face in his hands. "Shintaro-sama."

"What!" He barked at the shinobi who walked into the room. The shinobi was one of the subordinates of Sasori that resided here in Tanigakure. He had aided in the overthrow of the previous Village Head, but at the moment Masahiko didn't wish to speak with anyone.

The said shinobi flinched. "The orders have been given that River Country is now safe ground for the members of Akatsuki. The Tanigakure shinobi had been ordered not to attack an Akatsuki member on site unless in form of defense."

The shinobi wasn't sure if his leader was listening. Masahiko seemed to be lost in thought. Yes, he had accomplished what seemed to be impossible, taking control of River Country, but for what cause? "Kimura," Masahiko finally addressed the shinobi after about five minutes of silence. "Gather a team together to deliver a message to the Hokage."

"The Hokage?"

"Yes. I'll have the message ready by morning. Also send to me Shintaro Akio. I must speak to the old man now."

"Hai, Shintaro-sama." Kimura left the room quickly to fetch Shintaro Akio.

Thirty minutes later, Shintaro Akio stood before Masahiko. Akio was man in his upper forties. He would have been next in line to become Head of the Shintaro family if not for Masahiko's existence. "Shintaro-sama, you called for me?" Akio asked as he bowed to Tanigakure's new leader. Akio wondered what more the dictator would want.

"Yes, I must speak to you about my sister, Sayuri…"


	15. Chapter 15

**C H A P T E R F I F T E E N**

"Holy fuck Tobi! Stay the hell out of the room! You're being too damn loud!" A certain Jashinist shouted at a man wearing a swirly orange mask.

"Tobi is being quiet! Hidan is the one yelling!"

"I swear to Jashin! You better get the fuck out before I kick your ass out! Kakuzu told me to keep fuckers like you out so you don't disturb this bitch!" Hidan pointed to Sayuri, who was sleeping in bed. It was a miracle that she was still sleeping.

"It seems to me that you're both causing a disturbance." Kakuzu growled on cue.

"Hold it! Tobi's the one bothering Sayuri!" Hidan yelled in his own defense.

"You're shouting too, dumbass, now both of you get out." The older man ordered. Hidan's eye twitched, but he listened to Kakuzu anyways; he decided that he better things to do. Tobi glanced at Sayuri one more time, before following Hidan out. Kakuzu proceeded to sit in the chair set up next to the bed. Upon the bedside table, he placed the bowl of gray oatmeal. He simply watched the girl sleep. It had been a week and a half since the incident in the rain and Sayuri hadn't gotten better. He had been placing cold damp rags not only on her forehead, but on other parts of her body as well. Her body temperature didn't seem to want to go down and none of the medicine he had given her seemed to reduce her temperature or ease her coughing. To make matters slightly worse, Sayuri seemed to be sleeping for a majority of the day, meaning she didn't spend as much time as she should drinking water or eating to regain her strength. Kakuzu couldn't leave to get new medicine either; Itachi, and maybe even Kisame, were the only two people he thought were capable to take care of Sayuri while he was gone, but neither Itachi and Kisame were at the base at the moment. Kakuzu sighed and placed a thermometer in Sayuri's mouth to check her temperature again. He could always send Hidan or Deidara to get medicine…then again they'd have no idea what they were doing. Sasori wouldn't do it unless it was a direct order from Leader, not to mention he never goes out without being inside his puppet Hiruko.

Kakuzu took the thermometer out of her mouth. "38.3 degrees Celsius. (About 101 degrees Fahrenheit)" It was better than 39.4 (103 degrees Fahrenheit), but her temperature had been fluctuating up and down since she fell ill. In fact, there was a point when her temperature had reached 40 degrees Celsius (About 104 degrees Fahrenheit). Luckily that didn't last more than an hour or so. Kakuzu found himself sighing again. If she didn't get better soon, then it wouldn't be long before the fever began to take its toll on her. Her immune system was going crazy now, thus making her more susceptible to other illnesses.

"Hmmmm," Sayuri rolled in the bed a bit, before opening her eyes.

"Good, you're up. Eat this." Kakuzu placed the bowl of oatmeal on her lap.

"Mystery Oatmeal." She pouted.

"Just eat it."

She complied without complaining, slowly raising the spoon from the bowl and into her mouth. Her eyes were still droopy as she ate at her slow place, making Kakuzu wonder if she was really conscious or not. It was almost painful to watch her eat so slowly and Kakuzu had the urge to take the bowl and dump the rest of the oatmeal down her throat. Instead he resisted the urge and waited patiently for her to finish.

As Kakuzu began to pick up the now empty bowl, Sayuri called out to him. "Masahiko, Masahiko, I'm so thirsty." The bowl broke in his hand. She had just confused him for her brother. "Masahiko…" It was as though Kakuzu was trying to fight against God himself while he was trying to keep his temper under control. He poured her a glass of water from the pitcher and held the glass to her lips. Her smaller hand covered his as she tilted back to drain the glass. "Masahiko…"

Kakuzu couldn't stop himself from glaring at her. "What? Do you want more water?"

"Where's Kakuzu?"

"Wh-what?"

"I want to see Kakuzu. Where is he?" She's hallucinating now. This was really bad. "Masahiko, where is he?"

"Sayuri, I'm Kakuzu."

"No, you're not. Where's Kakuzu? I need to see him. I need to, before…"

"Sayuri…" He moved his hand up to his mask. His fingers paused for a moment at the edge, before pulling the mask down. "It's me Kakuzu, see? Remember this face?"

Sayuri still seemed wary of him. Her feeble hand shakily raised up to trace the corners of his mouth. They glided along the black thread. "Kakuzu…?"

"I'm here."

"Kakuzu…" Her hand suddenly dropped to her side and she slumped back against the pillow, causing Kakuzu to panic. Her body seemed almost lifeless.

"Shit, Sayuri!" His heartbeats slowed down when she began coughing. She was still alive. "Here." He poured another glass of water and wrapped his arm around her shoulder to help her sit up again. He shook her lightly to keep her conscious. "Drink some."

She obeyed. "I'm tired."

"Sleep."

She nodded weakly, resting her head back on the pillow. He wrung out another damp towel and placed it on her forehead. Her eyes came to a close. Kakuzu wondered what would happen if those eyes were to never open again. Her body would probably be fed to Zetsu if anything. He stared at her for several minutes before standing up. She seemed to be fast asleep now, and he needed to get Hidan to watch her again for a bit while he made contact with the Leader.

Kakuzu couldn't believe his luck. The Leader of the Akatsuki was not in the best of moods. Apparently, the Leader has lost contact with Masahiko and now Tanigakure, and the rest of River Country, was a bit of a mess. To cut straight to the point, Masahiko had vanished and Tanigakure and River Country were without a permanent leader. A man named Shintaro Akio had taken the role of temporary leader, until another could be chosen, but there wasn't time to choose one with the village recovering from the bombing attack by a certain Akatsuki member. The shinobi of Konoha had become involved and it was rumored that they were searching for the lost daughter of the previous Daimyou of River Country, Sayuri herself. Needless to say, things weren't going as planned. "I decline your request, Kakuzu," voiced the shadowy figure with purple eyes.

"She will die if she isn't taken to a hospital. The base isn't exactly a sterile environment for someone who's so ill that they may be on their death bed." Kakuzu explained.

"She's better dead than in the hands of our enemies."

"You must make an exception. We'll simply take her back after she…"

"She knows too much. By the time she's recovered, she may have spilled information about the Akatsuki to Tanigakure or Konoha."

"But she…"

"Why are you so insistent Kakuzu? This is unlike you."

Kakuzu swore he almost choked right there. As he glared at his feet he wondered to himself: why was he so insistent that Sayuri must be taken to the hospital, other than the fact that she may die if not given proper medical attention? "I…"

"Pein…" The feminine voice caused Kakuzu to jerk his head up to see that the second shadowy figure had seemed to place a hand on the Leader's shoulder. He had never heard the second figure speak before, and was very surprised that it was a woman speaking. She only said one word, but her voice sounded sympathetic and understanding.

The silence that followed after the woman had spoken seemed to have dragged on far too long. The Leader turned his head towards the woman, before speaking to Kakuzu. "Alright, you have my permission, but you must bring the girl here to me first."

"Yes, Leader-sama."

* * *

The cleanliness of the room, and the whole hospital as a matter of fact, was a bit too much for Kakuzu to handle at first. He couldn't remember the last time he had been in a place so clean. The room Sayuri was placed in was small, but had a window beside the bed, so the patient could look out it if they so pleased. Sayuri slept beneath thin white sheets, dressed in the hospital's blue gown. The staff at the hospital was shocked to see the state Sayuri was in and even more so at the sight of the person who brought her to the hospital. Kakuzu had never been a friendly looking guy. He had appeared in the hospital lobby a few minutes after sundown, roaring for a doctor, as he held Sayuri in his arms.

Kakuzu waited all night and morning, until the nurse had allowed him to come see Sayuri in the afternoon. She looked as though she was in a comfortable, dreamless sleep and was most definitely looking a lot better than she had in a while. She seemed at peace. As he sat beside Sayuri's sleeping form, he worried what would happen when she woke up, when she saw him. Before they had left the base, Kakuzu took Sayuri to Leader as ordered. Kakuzu was surprised to hear from him that Sayuri was not only allowed to go to the hospital, but allowed to return home as well. Apparently she was, "More trouble than she was worth" and Leader said that he should have never agreed with Masahiko in obtaining her in the first place. The Leader then placed a sort of jutsu on her. Kakuzu wondered if the jutsu actually worked, and since it was the Leader of the Akatsuki that performed it, the jutsu probably did work.

"Old Man, it's nice to see ya again. I see that my angel is well." Kakuzu didn't recognize the voice, but there was only one person he knew that called him "Old Man" and called Sayuri "My Angel".

He turned to see a young man with shoulder length black hair, held back by a Tanigakure headband. The man's eyes were of a golden hue. Kakuzu was surprised, but at the same time he wasn't. "What have you been up to Masahiko? More importantly, what have you done to yourself?"

"I no longer go by Masahiko. I'm now Shintaro Saeki, son of Shintaro Akio."

"You've made the Leader unhappy."

"And thus the reason I changed my identity. This way I can be by Sayuri's side; it's where I belong. I left my position and was hired by Mother to become Sayuri's personal bodyguard."

Kakuzu couldn't believe the foolishness of the young man before him. "Do you ever think things through? Everything you seem to do is crazy."

"I do the things I do, because I love Sayuri and that's why I'm here now."

"Tch." Kakuzu turned away from Masahiko, or "Saeki", and back towards Sayuri. She still slept peacefully.

Masahiko didn't miss the look he saw, or thought he saw, in Kakuzu's eyes. "You love her as well." He said bluntly. Kakuzu didn't say a word. He simply continued to watch Sayuri sleep.

"I'm surprised Leader even allowed you take her to the hospital. Was she really that sick?"

Kakuzu nodded, without looking at Masahiko. "She was even hallucinating….she's free to go home now."

Masashiko's eyes widened at this. "There's no way Leader would just let her go like this!"

"Of course not, before I took her here, Leader erased her memory."

"He w-what?"

"Erased her memory. When she wakes up, she won't remember anything having to do with the past few months." Kakuzu's voice almost sounded hollow.

Masahiko sighed. "I guess it's for the best…You better get out of here soon. The doctors recognized Sayuri as the late Daimyou's daughter. They've sent word to Mother and Shintaro Akio. They'll be here any moment now." Masahiko stood up to leave.

"Where are you going then?" Kakuzu asked.

"I was supposed to meet them outside of the hospital." Masahiko paused at the door to look back at Kakuzu, before looking straight ahead again. "I guess I could by you some time, Old Man, like a parting present or whatever." He laughed and left.

Kakuzu focused his attention on Sayuri again. At least she would be well protected by her new body guard. Sayuri shifted a bit, before sighing in her sleep. Kakuzu found his hand moving forward, before it met her pale cheek. His fingertips grazed across her skin. It didn't matter what happened now or what would happen in the future. Kakuzu knew she'd be alright.

He stood to go, but a voice stopped him. "Wait." Kakuzu silent cursed himself for stopping, and cursed himself even more for turning around. "Where am I?"

"The hospital." He answered. Her voice sounded coarse, but she spoke quietly.

"W-what happened?"

"You were sick. So now you're in the hospital."

Sayuri glared at the strange masked man before her. Of course she knew that much, but she couldn't remember how she fell ill. She could only remember that she was preparing to go to bed the day before the… "The First Coming of Age Ceremony! Did I miss it?" She asked the masked man.

Kakuzu was surprised that she had forgotten the ceremony as well. "Yes, it happened many months ago."

Her mind was swirling. What the happened to her in the past few months? Also, "Who are you?" She asked.

Kakuzu closed his eyes before responding. "The stranger that found you."

He found her? "Then thank you for saving me." As she said this, she looked into his eyes. They were odd: red and green colored, but they seemed a bit familiar as well. "We…we haven't met before, have we?"

The man shook his head. "No." He stood and made way to leave.

"Wait!" She shouted, hurting her throat a bit, but she didn't care. "Don't go yet! Please…please stay with me, until my mother or father comes for me."

He turned to look at her one last time. His eyes…his eyes…she couldn't bear to look at them, for when she did she felt as though her own heart was breaking. "I can't stay with you. I must leave." And with that Kakuzu was gone.

Sayuri wanted to call out to the man again, but she was starting to feel choked up. Before she knew tears were forming and then they were rolling down her cheeks.

"Sayuri!"

Past her tears, she saw the figure of her mother. "M-Mother…?"

"Oh my dear child!" Her mother was in tears as well, but for a different reason. "I thought I'd lost you forever!" She cried, as she nearly hugged Sayuri to death.

"Mother, what happened to me?"

Her mother wiped away tears from one eye. "You don't remember? You were kidnapped by the Akatsuki and…Oh Sayuri! So many terrible things had happened since you were kidnapped! Your Father was assassinated and Masahiko he's…"

"W-what?" This was too much for her. Why did the Akatsuki kidnap her? Who would assassinate her father? And what happened to Masahiko?

"I think this is too much information for her, Hasegawa-san. She only just woke up." An older man told her mother. "My name is Shintaro Akio, Sayuri-san. There is much that must be told to you, but for now you should rest. I will, however, give you this." He handed her a scroll.

"What's this?"

"A letter from your brother. He gave it to me before his disappearance a week or so ago."

Sayuri looked at the scroll in confusion. "My brother has been missing for long time now."

"No, he returned to take your father's place as the Daimyou and the Head of Tanigakure, but as quickly as he came, he vanished again. There've been so many terrible rumors about him…" Her mother sobbed.

"Now, now, Hasegawa-san." Akio shushed her.

Sayuri was so confused. "Don't worry too much," said the younger man with gold eyes. "We'll fill you in later. For now just rest."

She stared at this guy. "Who are you?"

"Of course," He bowed to her. "I'm Shintaro Saeki. It's nice to meet you Sayuri-sama."

"Ah, yes." Sayuri's mother started. "This is your new bodyguard. I decided it'll be best for you to have one from now on."

"I'll even train you in self-defense when you get better, Sayuri-sama." He smiled.

"Oh…" Sayuri was done trying to understand what exactly was going on and was starting to feel very tired again. "I'm sorry, but could you all leave now? I'm feeling a bit tired."

"Of course Sayuri." Her mother kissed her atop the head. "The doctor says you'll be out in a couple days. We'll visit you later this evening, okay?"

Sayuri nodded and the three others headed out. "Oh wait!" Sayuri cried out. "If you see a man with red and green eyes, can you ask him to please see me as well?"

Her mother frowned. "I've never heard of a man of red and green eyes before. Have you, Shintaro-san?" She asked Shintaro Akio. The man shook his head.

"Hmm…maybe she's imagining things?" Saeki suggested.

"I'm not imagining things!"

"You must still be feeling tired, honey." Her mother cooed. "Please rest okay? Out you two." She took the two men out with her, leaving Sayuri alone.

Angry tears prickled her eyes. She wasn't imagining things. He was definitely there. He must have told the doctors and nurses to lie to her mother, but why? It was most likely to keep his identity hidden, but for what purpose? Was he a criminal or something? She shook her head. No. A criminal wouldn't save her life like he did. If the criminal was really a criminal of the River Country, then he would have recognized her as the Daimyou's daughter and would have held her for ransom or something. The man with red and green eyes wasn't a criminal. When she looked into his eyes, she could just tell. His eyes…they looked kind of sad.

Sayuri wanted to rip her hair out. She couldn't remember who that man was and she felt like she knew him. She felt like…she loved him, but she couldn't remember who he was or how they met or any experiences they would have shared together. His identity was hidden, no, lost in her forgotten memories.


End file.
